Cornell University's Jane Doe has dropped her case against a man she misidentified as the president of the Chi Phi fraternity at the time she was allegedly gang raped.
Doe, who has accused several Chi Phi brothers of sexual assault in October 2024, initially named Orazio Petito in her civil lawsuit.
Petito, whom she mistakenly identified as the chapter's president, was not accused of sexual assault.
He has now been dropped from her complaint, according to a notice of discontinuance filed Tuesday.
Petito's lawyer, Eric Bernstein, says the case against his client was dismissed because he was not serving as president of the Xi Chapter of Chi Phi at the time of the alleged assault. The identity of the actual president remains unclear.
'We're pleased with the dismissal of the case against my client, and justice was served,' the attorney told Newsday.
Doe, who has accused Cornell of having mishandled her complaints, has also now released a letter blasting university President Michael Kotlikoff for his response to the alleged assault.
According to her letter, which was obtained by the New York Times, Doe claims that she reported the alleged attack, Kotlikoff had a conversation with the president of her sorority, and asked, 'Why did she wait so long to report it?'
Cornell University's Jane Doe has dropped her case against a man she misidentified as the president of the Chi Phi fraternity at the time she was allegedly gang raped
Umar Matthew Ingalls and Jonathan Newell were expelled from the school after Jane Doe accused seven fraternity members of gang raping her in October 2024
The letter, addressed to Cornell's Dean of Faculty and the Speaker of the Faculty Senate, expresses Doe's disappointment in Kotlikoff's administration.
She claims that the president's alleged initial response to her reported assault was 'as an expression of doubt in the veracity of my story.'
Doe, citing an alleged conversation with the then-president of her Delta Delta Delta sorority, claimed other faculty or staff members 'appeared distressed upon hearing the president's question' and thought his response was 'inappropriate.'
'When the then-Tri Delta President relayed this conversation to me, I felt unsupported and disbelieved by President Kotlikoff,' Doe wrote in the letter, dated October 14.
'It diminished my confidence in the administration's ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school.'
Kotlikoff faced angry members of the school's faculty at a meeting last Wednesday that underscored deep frustration over his administration's handling of Doe's alleged rape.
He acknowledged some missteps, but also defended his leadership as he took questions from the university's Faculty Senate before it debated a no-confidence resolution in his administration.
The meeting was closed to the public, but in an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press, Kotlikoff asked for more time to implement reforms and push for cultural changes in student social life.
This is the room in the Chi Phi fraternity house where Doe alleges she was sexually assaulted and exploited by seven men on October 19, 2024
She claimed the night took a turn when Newell allegedly posted in a fraternity Snapchat group that there was 'free p***y' upstairs
He insisted experienced leadership was necessary to confront problems 'that are not simplistic, they're not easy, they can't be brushed aside with a wave of a hand.'
Replacing a president isn't the right way to address the situation and would harm Cornell's reputation, Kotlikoff argued.
Kotlikoff also left open the possibility of sweeping restrictions on Greek life, saying Cornell needed to determine whether fraternities could operate safely.
Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging that Chi Phi brothers Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar sexually assaulted or exploited her on October 19, 2024.
All of those men have denied her allegations, saying either that their interactions were consensual or that they weren't involved.
Doe claimed that the seven men engaged in sexual acts with her while she was 'completely incapacitated' and without her consent. She says the ordeal continued until she lost consciousness.
She said the men manipulated her into ingesting ketamine and alcohol, and that other men entered the room while she was incapacitated, the lawsuit said.
She also alleged that Snapchat messages describing her as sexually available to anyone at the house circulated among fraternity members without her knowledge.
Doe, then a 20-year-old sophomore, reported the alleged assault to Cornell police in November 2024, three weeks after she said it occurred.
Doe's lawsuit sparked national outrage over the handling of the case. Her supporters are seen gathering in Ithaca, New York for a protest on October 13, 2026
Campus police investigated and sent a summary of their findings to the district attorney's office, which relied on the information in deciding not to bring criminal charges. Separately, Cornell conducted a Title IX investigation.
The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell was shut down, and the university has said it expelled some students and suspended others.
Cornell last week suspended all parties and social events at fraternity houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and implemented a new 'zero tolerance' policy that would immediately suspend chapters for violations.
Crimes reported on Cornell's campus are generally investigated by campus police, a department that has full law enforcement powers but is controlled by the university.
The campus police force operates independently from municipal police in Ithaca, New York, where the university is located.
Its officers investigated the 2024 gang rape allegations and presented their initial findings to the Tompkins County district attorney, who declined to prosecute within weeks of the woman making her first report to police.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul removed the district attorney from the case this month after a public outcry over the lack of charges.
The investigation is now being led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, while Cornell has hired former Deputy US Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of the university's response.