Expelled Cornell Student Claims Counter-Assault in Ongoing Legal Defense

Matthew Ingalls, one of the former Cornell University fraternity members at the center of a high-profile sexual assault investigation, alleged in a February 2025 email to the university’s Title IX office that he was “sodomized” by the woman now accusing him and six others of rape. The disclosure of the email adds a layer of legal complexity to a case that has already resulted in expulsions, a 101-page civil lawsuit, and the reopening of a criminal probe by the Tompkins County District Attorney.

Ingalls’ claims, which characterize him as a survivor rather than a perpetrator, form the basis of his defense against both the university’s disciplinary actions and the civil allegations filed by the former student, identified as “Jane Doe.” In his communication with the Title IX office, Ingalls accused Cornell of gender discrimination, arguing the institution failed to treat his report with the same gravity as the allegations against him. This counter-allegation is now a central component of the legal maneuvers surrounding the “Cornell 7,” a group of former Chi Phi members accused of a February 2024 assault.

The university's Title IX process is under review by the New York Attorney General.

Institutional Discipline and Legal Proceedings

The university’s internal investigation led to varying degrees of discipline for the men involved. While Ingalls and Jonathan Newell were expelled, five others—Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar—received suspensions or were required to complete tasks such as “reflection papers.” The Chi Phi fraternity’s Xi chapter has since been permanently barred from the university campus.

The civil lawsuit, filed on September 16, 2026, names all seven men and accuses Cornell University of failing to protect the plaintiff and mishandling the subsequent investigation. Following the filing of this lawsuit and the public release of Snapchat messages in which fraternity members allegedly discussed the presence of an “available” woman at the house, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the criminal investigation in late September 2026. The DA had previously declined to prosecute, citing insufficient evidence and inconsistencies in prior statements. The parallel tracks of the civil litigation and the reopened criminal case ensure that the counter-claims raised by Ingalls will remain a focal point of the proceedings as the court determines the credibility of the conflicting reports.

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