January 1, Fraternity Brothers Say Accuser Initiated Contact In Cornell Case

Wyatt’s Take

• Three accused students claim their accuser never asked for consent and even initiated the encounters
• Text messages show the woman later described the night as consensual and wanted to meet again
• Local prosecutor found no evidence for charges, but political pressure led to a partisan special prosecutor

Students accused in a 2024 Cornell University incident are now claiming their accuser initiated sexual contact without asking for their consent.

At least three of the seven men told investigators that Jane Doe started the encounters. One student said he became a victim himself when the accuser performed oral sex on him while he was too incapacitated to consent.

Gillio Lopes told Cornell investigators he remembered the night clearly after six drinks and that Doe initiated contact without asking for his consent. He said he left around 2 a.m. and felt embarrassed about what happened.

“I remembered the night fairly clearly and had consumed roughly six drinks — three Keystone beers and three vodka-and-Hawaiian Punch drinks.”

Winston Lee gave a similar account. He said Doe started the activity without asking for consent, and when he later asked for consent she replied they were “all consenting adults.”

“All consenting adults.”

A third student told investigators he considered himself a victim of sexual misconduct because Doe performed oral sex on him while he was “too incapacitated” to consent.

Four of the seven men acknowledged having sexual contact with Doe. Three denied any participation. Their accounts differ sharply from the civil lawsuit filed by the accuser.

Cornell’s Title IX panel sanctioned four men with penalties ranging from expulsions to suspensions and probation. Two were found responsible for sexual assault under school rules.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to file criminal charges after reviewing the evidence. He noted the woman’s sworn statement described her participation as “voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”

“I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.”

Text messages uncovered from the night show the accuser telling one male that none of the “sexual stuff” was “illegal” and that she wanted to meet up again because she enjoyed the encounter.

Public pressure forced Van Houten to reopen the case. New York Governor Kathy Hochul then appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor despite the lack of criminal evidence.

Wyatt Matters

Working families across America know that real justice requires looking at all the facts, not rushing to judgment based on political pressure. When prosecutors ignore evidence and let politics drive investigations, ordinary people lose faith in the system that should protect everyone equally.