Man at center of Cornell gang rape lawsuit told probers he’s the real victim of Jane Doe

Man at center of Cornell gang rape lawsuit told probers he’s the real victim of Jane Doe Records and a lawyer for Jane Doe have suggested that the fraternity members attempted to cover up the alleged gang rape - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in One of the former fraternity brothers accused in a lawsuit of gang raping a fellow Cornell University student two years ago told investigators that he is the real victim — and suggested he would file his own complaint. A former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, claimed in a bombshell lawsuit filed last month that she was drugged and gang raped by seven members of the now-defunct Chi Phi fraternity in Ithaca, New York, in October 2024. None of the men have been criminally charged and all have denied wrongdoing. One of the men, Matthew Ingalls, who according to the lawsuit invited Doe to the house before the alleged assault, later told investigators he was too intoxicated to consent that night and described himself as the victim, according to documents obtained by ABC News. In an email to Cornell’s Title IX investigator, who probes reports of sex-based discrimination or sexual misconduct on campus, Ingalls reportedly accused the school of “entrapment.” He also suggested in the email that he might file his own complaint against Doe. “After all, you received information that I was sodomized by her while I was incapacitated back in November, and you never once thought to alert me of my rights under these procedures as a survivor of this assault?” Ingalls wrote in the email, obtained by ABC. “The very fact that I had to bring this to bring this to your attention now in February confirms my worst fears: that this process is rolled with gender discrimination,” he wrote. Other school records reviewed by ABC News suggested that leaders of the fraternity asked a potential witness to the alleged gang rape to stay quiet because “the reputation of all involved and the frat would be ruined” if details about the incident spread across campus. According to the records, Cornell’s police department received a tip that someone had been told to stay quiet about the alleged incident one day after a campus-wide alert notified students about a reported rape at the fraternity. Investigators then began questioning witnesses about a potential cover-up by the fraternity brothers. “Chi Phi held a meeting essentially to get all of the men on the same page about what happened. I know for a fact there are group me messages about the situation,” one female student told investigators at the time. That student told investigators that the fraternity members described the incident as a “consensual orgy,” but were worried that it “would be bad for [their] image.” The outlet also reviewed text messages apparently sent by some of the fraternity brothers after Cornell suspended the chapter. “When was the last time you spoke to [Jane Doe]?” the fraternity’s president wrote to Ingalls. “Yesterday…what’s the plan of action?” he responded. “Should I call [her]? I don’t think she would have reported this.” The Independent has contacted Chi Phi for comment. Ingalls has not been charged with a crime and has not yet responded to the accusations publicly. Lawyers for the accused men deny any accusations of wrongdoing. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, Jane Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, claimed the “whole fraternity had meetings to try and cover this up.” “That’s really the frightening that this happened. There were 57 people who got that group chat and not one of them — other than the person who leaked it to her — did anything,” Giuffra said. “Nobody walked out of those meetings and said ‘Hey this is wrong, we’re going to the police, we’re throwing these guys under the bus and holding them accountable,’” he continued. “All they were interested in was protecting their fraternity brothers and keeping it as business as usual — that’s what they were interested in, not justice, not this woman.” At the time, Doe reported the incident to Cornell’s police department, triggering the suspension of the Chi Phi fraternity and prompting a months-long investigation. Two of the men were expelled and others were suspended. Cornell’s president addressed the incident over the weekend as the case continues to make national headlines. In an eight-minute video message, Michael Kotlikoff described the past week as one of the most difficult in the university’s history and acknowledged troubling questions about the investigations that followed the allegations. “My heart aches when I think of what she experienced,” Kotlikoff said. “It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use.” Kotlikoff reaffirmed his commitment to supporting an independent review of Cornell's handling of the case and said the school's Board of Trustees would announce details next week. He also showed support for New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to turn the criminal investigation over to the state attorney general. “I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say,” Kotlikoff said. “We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves.”