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Wu Mingzhen accused seven members of a Cornell fraternity of sexual harassment. From the initial confusion and forbearance to the subsequent identification of the victim and the filing of a civil suit, the incident also exposed shortcomings in the handling of the incident by campus police, prosecutors, and school officials.
On September 16 this year, a woman using the pseudonym “Jane Doe” filed a lawsuit allegingCornell University Seven members of Chi Phi fraternity inside the fraternity residence in October 2024sexual harassment He. Lawyers for at least three defendants have denied guilt; Others are yet to make a public statement. Wu Mingzhen’s initial testimony was suspected to have been omitted, leading New York State’s Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten to decide not to file criminal charges in 2024. The entire document shows how Wu Mingzhen digested the entire incident and the struggle from tolerance to litigation, which also indirectly reflects the flaws of Cornell University and the judicial system.
new York Times According to reports, Wu Mingzhen’s complaint led to at least a dozen hearings with Cornell University’s Title IX committee, which is responsible for ensuring that the school complies with federal civil rights laws. The extensive documents collected by the committee during the hearing are unknown to the public, including hundreds of pages of emails, text messages, photos and interviews with Jane, her friends, and the defendants.
Wu Mingzhen’s first task is to explain what he has experienced. At 3:05 am on October 20, 2024, Wu Mingzhen’s roommate sent a text message asking if she would go home. Wu Mingzhen replied that she didn’t know, and the roommate went to bed. At around 11:15, Wu Mingzhen returned home, still wearing the clothes from last night. She told two roommates that she took ketamine and had sex with multiple men. One of the roommates told investigators that Wu Mingzhen did not use the words “rape” or “sexual assault” at that time. Another of her roommates later told investigators that she seemed dazed and “didn’t really realize what she was saying.”
On October 21, Wu Mingzhen went to her junior sister and said that there were rumors that she was a slut. The senior told investigators that Wu Mingzhen must have been unable to digest what happened because she smiled and said, “Unfortunately, those rumors are true.”
That same day, Wu Mingzhen received a text message from Jonathan Newell, one of the latter’s defendants. Newell said he wanted to apologize for what happened that night, saying he and Matthew Ingalls (another defendant) were very remorseful because they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol and “failed to stop the situation and get people out before it got out of control.” Wu Mingzhen replied and consoled her: “In the end, those sexual behaviors are not illegal. To be honest, I really like being with you and Matthew.”
On October 23, Wu Mingzhen sent a text message to Ingels, saying that “everyone knows” and that the incident temporarily ruined her life and reputation, and she could only “sleep and cry all day.”
A few days later, while spending time on a fraternity/sorority forum, she was shocked when she saw several articles accusing fraternity members of gang-raping a second-year student. She sent a screenshot to Ingalls, who responded: “This is ridiculous. I want to report it.” According to a Cornell University review document obtained by The New York Times, Wumingzhen told investigators: “This is the first time I’ve heard this statement: That I was not a prostitute, but that I was sexually assaulted.”
As Halloween approached, Jane’s roommate told investigators that his understanding of the night had changed. On October 28, Ingalls had a phone call with Wumingzhen. A roommate said she heard Ingles apologizing to Wumingzhen, but Wumingzhen did not console her, but changed her tone: “How could you let this happen?”
On November 3, Wu Mingzhen became convinced that she had been sexually assaulted, and sent a text message to Newell, reading: “I want to make it clear that whatever happened that night was not consensual. I was injected with more ketamine than I remember, and I know I told you I wasn’t feeling well, and there was no one in the room I knew well.”
The New York Times reported on October 1 that Cornell campus police ignored the woman’s rape allegation. After hours of interrogation, Wu Mingzhen candidly told a campus police officer in a six-page testimony: “I can say with 100% certainty that I was raped.” She remembered that she was naked and surrounded by a group of men.
