Matthew Ingalls

Introduction

Matthew Ingalls is a member of the Xi chapter of Chi Phi at Cornell University and one of seven fraternity members named in a civil complaint filed in New York state court in Manhattan on Sept. 14, 2026, alleging that a former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe was drugged and gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, on the night of Oct. 19–20, 2024 . The complaint identifies Ingalls as the friend the plaintiff went to the house to meet, and alleges he proposed a threesome, brought her to a room, supplied her with drugs and alcohol, and later forced oral and vaginal sex on her . He has never been criminally charged; the district attorney found insufficient evidence to support charges and no arrest was made .

Background Information

The lawsuit identifies him as Matthew Ingalls ‘27 and states that temporary suspensions were issued to him on Nov. 8, 2024, along with the other six student defendants and the chapter . Cornell’s directory listed his college as “not applicable,” and The Cornell Daily Sun reported it could not confirm his academic status . The same complaint names his fellow Chi Phi members Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar, as well as Cornell University, Chi Phi’s national and local organizations, Tri Delta entities, the chapter’s then-president Orazio Petito and Moonies Bar & Nightclub .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from a civil complaint filed in New York state court on Sept. 14, 2026, reported in detail by The Cornell Daily Sun and other outlets. They have never been admitted by Ingalls, never been criminally charged — the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office found insufficient evidence to support charges — and never been adjudicated in court. No defendant had answered the complaint as of publication. Ingalls has not publicly responded to the allegations; a co-defendant, Scott Kretzschmar, has denied the claims through an attorney.

According to the complaint, the plaintiff — then 20 years old and a Cornell student — spent the evening of Oct. 19, 2024 at Cornell’s Tri-Delta house, at a Tri-Delta event hosted at Moonies Bar & Nightclub and at the Lot 10 bar, before walking alone at about 11 p.m. to the Chi Phi house at 107 Edgemoor Lane to meet her friend, defendant Matthew Ingalls .

The filing alleges Ingalls proposed a threesome with the plaintiff and another fraternity brother while she was “incapable of consenting,” and that he nonetheless brought her to a room, where he and defendant Johnathan Newell pressured her to snort a white powder claimed to be ketamine — a drug she had never taken . It alleges Ingalls initiated oral sex without her consent, and that defendant Gillio Lopes later joined the assault, after which the men again had sex with her without consent .

Later that night, according to the complaint, Ingalls and defendant Winston Lee took the plaintiff into another room, believed by the defendant to be the office of Orazio Petito, president of Chi Phi at Cornell at the time, where the two forced oral and vaginal sex upon her simultaneously and made her snort more ketamine . The suit states the student defendants were “fully aware” of her condition, that the assault lasted until around 5:45 a.m., and that she was completely incapacitated by then .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The plaintiff reported the incident to the Cornell University Police Department on Nov. 8, 2024; that same day the Xi chapter and all seven named students were placed on temporary suspension, and Cornell suspended the chapter and the students the following month . The university’s Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards investigated and adjudicated the allegations, and the Xi chapter “remains barred from our campus”; Cornell has declined to describe individual sanctions, citing federal privacy law . The plaintiff’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has said only two of the seven accused members were expelled and that others received suspensions, workshops or essays, an account Cornell declined to confirm . National coverage followed, led by a New York Post exclusive ; on Sept. 21, 2026, the Cornell Daily Sun’s editorial board named all seven student defendants individually, writing: “We know who you are and we refuse to let you benefit from this University’s concealment.”

Current Status

Update (October 9, 2026): A new batch of text messages between Doe and Ingalls, obtained by TMZ and reported by the New York Post, shows the two messaging in a panic four days after the party — before any allegation was on record — as Doe hunted for the “rats” gossiping about them having sex. “everybody knows,” she texted, calling herself “incredibly stressed out”; Ingalls sympathized, writing “this sh-t is incredibly frustrating and I know how fast nonsense spreads at this school” and “Stupid bitches like to yap… they’re jealous of you for any number of reasons.” Doe suspected fellow defendant Jonathan Newell of leaking — “Jonathan def told people” — which Ingalls denied. A week later, on November 7, Ingalls told Doe his ex-girlfriend said he had been labeled a sexual abuser on campus and asked if she had made the allegations; Doe said she had stayed mum, adding “people are changing the narrative because like in any sexual scenario w one woman and many men the woman was probably victim,” and “I know there are rumors I was gang banged.” Per the lawsuit, Doe requested a rape kit at an emergency room that same day and reported the alleged rape to campus police the next day. The messages remain unauthenticated in court, no one has been charged, and the civil suit and the attorney-general investigation remain pending.

Update (October 5, 2026): Newly released audio of a November 7, 2024 phone call — recorded the day before Doe went to Cornell police — obtained by ABC News, captured Ingalls telling her “You did tell me you were sober, by the way,” contradicting her account that he already knew she was heavily intoxicated when she arrived, and at one point suggesting the encounter may not have happened at all: “It’s possible that both of us, like, remember this, and it’s not true.” According to school records reviewed by ABC News, Ingalls separately claimed to campus police that he was too intoxicated to consent that night — positioning himself as the victim of sexual assault — and the recording reportedly identifies him as the fraternity member who shared her picture in the group chat and told the others they could “walk in and whip it out.” No lawyer representing Ingalls has been publicly identified, and no one has been charged.

Update (October 7, 2026): Cornell announced it has hired former acting US Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent internal review of the university’s handling of sexual assault — including a “detailed review” of its response to Jane Doe’s allegations against the Chi Phi members, along with its prevention procedures, fraternity oversight and campus-police coordination. The Board of Trustees’ newly formed Special Committee said Yates will have “full independence.” The announcement came as more than 1,000 protesters marched on campus demanding President Michael Kotlikoff’s resignation, a week after he called the case a “defining moment” and said the university “must do better.” No one has been criminally charged; the AG special-prosecutor investigation and the civil suit both remain pending.

Update (October 1, 2026): Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, taking the criminal investigation away from Tompkins County DA Matthew Van Houten after newly released information — including a transcript in which Doe told Cornell police, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped” — undercut faith in his office’s decision not to prosecute. The Attorney General’s office will investigate and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses and present evidence to a grand jury; no one has been charged.

Update (September 28, 2026): The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office announced it is reopening a criminal investigation into the alleged assault after the civil suit surfaced new details; no one has been charged, and DA Matthew Van Houten has published portions of the accuser’s initial statement while defending the original no-charges decision. The original reporting below has not changed.

No criminal charges have been filed. The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office said it “conducted a thorough review of the police investigation” but found “insufficient evidence to support criminal charges,” and the plaintiff’s attorney has said none of the seven accused men was arrested . The civil case will be decided on a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, a lower burden than a criminal conviction requires . Cornell’s Title IX investigation, opened in January 2025 after the plaintiff filed a formal complaint, is believed to have concluded, while the Ithaca Police Department’s investigation is reported to remain open . Ingalls remains a named defendant and had not publicly responded to the allegations when the case became public .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Ingalls faces claims of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the lawsuit seeks damages from all defendants . The complaint alleges Cornell knew or should have known about risks of sexual misconduct and drug use in Greek life and failed to protect the plaintiff, drawing public criticism of the university . The plaintiff has since withdrawn from Cornell .

Sources

• *New York Post, “Jane Doe texted with Cornell frat bro to find ‘jealous’ rat gossiping about them,” Oct. 9, 2026 — source
• *The Cornell Daily Sun, “Cornell, Chi Phi Sued by Victim of Alleged Gang Rape, Drugging in 2024,” Sept. 18, 2026 — source
• *The Cornell Daily Sun, “University Releases Statement on Alleged Gang Rape at Chi Phi,” Sept. 21, 2026 — source
• *The Cornell Daily Sun, “EDITORIAL | Cornell Won’t, We Will,” Sept. 21, 2026 — source
• *Cornell University, “Update on the lawsuit concerning allegations of sexual assault,” Sept. 21, 2026 — source
• *CBS News New York, “Cornell University and 7 Chi Phi fraternity members face lawsuit over rape allegations,” Sept. 2026 — source
• *The Daily Caller, “‘Walk In And Whip It Out’: Ivy League Frat Brothers Reportedly Drug, Gang-Rape Student,” Sept. 19, 2026 — source
• *Law Commentary, “Cornell Sued After Student Says 7 Fraternity Members Drugged and Gang-Raped Her, Some Faced ‘Essay’ Discipline,” Sept. 2026 — source
• *New York Post, “Cornell frat member ratted out bros in alleged gang rape, attorney reveals as he claims key evidence lost forever”, 28 September 2026 — source
• *New York Post, “AOC unloads on Cornell over claims it let off students accused of gang rape with slap on wrist”, 28 September 2026 — source
• *New York Post, “Cornell taps Sally Yates to lead internal probe into handling of gang-rape claims,” Oct. 6, 2026 — source
• *New York Post, “Hochul appoints AG Letitia James to take over ‘Cornell 7’ gang rape probe after losing faith in upstate DA’s investigation,” Oct. 1, 2026 — source
• *New York Post, “‘Cornell 7’ frat bro who told friends they could ‘whip it out’ says accuser told him she was sober,” Oct. 5, 2026 — source