Exclusive text messages reveal new details in alleged gang rape at Cornell University
Updated on: September 29, 2026 / 10:26 AM EDT / CBS New York
TL;DR
- Screenshots of text messages between the accuser (Jane Doe) and a defendant in a Cornell University alleged gang rape lawsuit have been obtained.
- The texts were sent two days after the alleged assault, with the defendant apologizing for events and citing intoxication.
- Doe's response in the texts indicated that "none of the sexual stuff was illegal" and suggested a repeat of a past encounter without negative elements.
- Doe's attorney confirmed the text exchange but questioned its interpretation and the follow-up by investigators.
- The district attorney is reopening the investigation into the alleged incident, noting discrepancies between the victim's original statement and the civil lawsuit.
- Two other defendants in the lawsuit deny the allegations.
- The accuser's attorney stated Doe was traumatized, intoxicated to incapacity, and trying to understand what happened, leading her to adopt a non-confrontational tone in the texts.
- The attorney believes Cornell's Title IX panel recognized Doe was in denial and that the defendant's expulsion suggests the messages were not deemed significant.