Polymarket Drops Bets on Fate of Accused Cornell Students
WHO:
CBS News - A woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against seven fraternity members and Cornell; all seven men denied her allegations, saying their interactions were consensual or that they were not involved.
CBS News - Polymarket’s U.S. exchange is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
CBS News - Polymarket has partnership agreements with the NHL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the UFC and ATP Tour.
CBS News - LeBron James has an endorsement deal with Polymarket; Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Sue Bird and Spike Lee appeared in a Polymarket commercial. A spokesman for Lee said the director had no comment.
CBS News - An UltraViolet petition singled out James, Manning, Daddario and Emily Ratajkowski, urging celebrity endorsers to cut ties with Polymarket.
ABC News Business - The contract concerned seven men accused of sexually assaulting or exploiting a Cornell student.
ABC News US - The contract concerned seven men accused of raping a Cornell student.
ABC News Business - Polymarket operates the prediction market platform.
ABC News US - Polymarket operates the prediction market platform.
WHAT:
CBS News - More than $450,000 had been wagered on the contract before its removal.
CBS News - Polymarket said: “Our primary goal at Polymarket is to bring objective, data-driven insight to the most important questions of our time.” The spokesperson added that the market addressed whether the government would take action, a process deserving scrutiny, and said the company had “heard them loud and clear” and removed it.
CBS News - The lawsuit alleges Cornell mishandled Jane Doe’s complaint; the seven men had not been charged with a crime.
CBS News - Online critics described the contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors associated with Polymarket.
ABC News Business - Polymarket removed a contract that had allowed users to wager on whether any of the seven men would be charged with a felony sex crime.
ABC News US - Polymarket removed a contract that had allowed users to wager on whether any of the seven men would be charged with a felony sex crime.
WHERE:
ABC News Business - The accused student attended Cornell.
ABC News US - The accused student attended Cornell.
WHEN:
CBS News - The contract had been available since Sept. 30 and was scheduled to close on Jan. 31.
CBS News - Jane Doe’s lawsuit alleges the assault or exploitation occurred in October 2024.
WHY:
ABC News Business - The removed contract concerned allegations of sexual assault or exploitation.
ABC News US - The removed contract concerned an allegation of rape.
(UPDATED October 21, 2026 15:04 UTC)
Polymarket removed a contract asking whether a Cornell student would sue seven fraternity members, after more than $450,000 had been wagered and online critics called it degrading. The company said the market concerned whether the government would take action, but added that it had “heard them loud and clear”; all seven men denied the allegations, and none had been charged with a crime. The lawsuit alleges Cornell mishandled Jane Doe’s complaint about an assault or exploitation in October 2024, while an advocacy group urged celebrity endorsers, including LeBron James and Eli Manning, to cut ties with Polymarket.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 09:05 UTC)
Polymarket removed a contract that let users wager on whether any of seven men accused of sexually assaulting or exploiting a Cornell student would be charged with a felony sex crime. The platform had offered the contract despite the serious allegations at its center. The student attended Cornell.