Korean among 7 named in Cornell lawsuit alleging drugging, sexual assault
A view of the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York / Captured from Cornell University's Instagram account
SEATTLE — A student believed to be Korean is among seven current and former Cornell University students named as defendants in a sexual assault lawsuit involving disturbing allegations that have drawn growing attention across the U.S. and within the Korean American community.
A former student at the Ivy League university, identified as Jane Doe, filed the lawsuit this month in New York, alleging that she was pressured into taking a substance described as ketamine and sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity at its house in October 2024, according to The Cornell Daily Sun.
The complaint names seven students, including Winston Lee, and brings sexual assault and other claims against them. The allegations have not been proven in court, and an attorney representing one of the defendants has denied the allegations against his client.
The lawsuit has drawn attention beyond the Cornell campus, with U.S. media outlets reporting on the case and Cornell’s social media accounts drawing a flood of comments about the allegations. The case has also surfaced on Korean American online forums, where users have been seeking additional information about Lee and the allegations.
Cornell said its civil rights and student conduct offices investigated and adjudicated the allegations but declined to disclose disciplinary action involving individual students, citing federal privacy law. The university said the Chi Phi chapter remains barred from campus.
No criminal charges were filed in connection with the case. The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office told CBS New York that a review of the police investigation found insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.