Cornell 7 Accused Matthew Ingalls Blasts Fraternity 'Brotherhood' in Furious Texts as Fellow Members Go Silent

Matthew Ingalls, one of seven men named as defendants in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity house, complained in private messages that few fraternity members checked in with him after the allegations emerged.

'Talking about "brotherhood" and then no one except a couple real ones check in, much less acknowledge our existence,' Ingalls wrote to fellow defendant Gillio Lopes in January 2025, according to messages reported by The New York Times. In the same exchange, he wrote: 'Campus is gonna hate my ass for a while.'

Ingalls Describes Limited Support From Fraternity Members

Lopes responded with a brief expression of agreement. The exchange describes Ingalls' perception of the support he received, rather than establishing that fraternity members collectively stopped communicating with him.

The Times reported that members had been asked to voluntarily provide screenshots of messages connected to a Hawaiian-themed party at the Chi Phi house on 19 October 2024. That is the night the former student bringing the lawsuit, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was assaulted.

Ingalls' January message coincided with the period in which Cornell began formal disciplinary hearings into her report. It predates the civil lawsuit filed in September 2026 and the wider public scrutiny that followed.

What the Lawsuit Alleges

Doe's lawsuit names Ingalls, Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Newell, Winston Lee, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar as defendants, alongside Chi Phi and Cornell. It alleges sexual misconduct involving differing acts by the individual men while she was too incapacitated to consent.

The civil allegations have not been adjudicated. No criminal charges against the seven men were reported in the accounts available for this article, and defendants who have responded through lawyers have denied wrongdoing.

According to Doe's filing, Cornell held at least 12 formal hearings between January and May 2025. The lawsuit states that Ingalls and Newell were expelled, while Lee and Lopes were suspended.

It also says Sarabia, who had already graduated, was barred from campus, while Norris and Kretzschmar were required to complete training and write 'reflection papers'. Those descriptions are the lawsuit's account of the university process, which is separate from the civil case and criminal investigation.

Sarabia Seeks Restrictions on Lawyer's Public Statements

Separately, Sarabia's lawyer has asked a judge to restrict public statements about the case by Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra. The application described Giuffra's media appearances as an 'orchestrated campaign' that could influence a future jury.

Giuffra disputed that characterisation, accusing defence lawyers of leaking confidential material and making public statements themselves. The disagreement concerns how the case is discussed outside court; the application is a request for restrictions, not a finding about the underlying allegations.

Reporting has also described an order sealing several documents, including the original complaint. The private messages quoted here were reported by the Times and should not be characterised as unrestricted public court records.

Attorney General Oversees Separate Criminal Investigation

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to bring charges. Governor Kathy Hochul subsequently appointed Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the criminal investigation and pursue prosecutions if warranted.

Hochul said recent revelations had undermined her confidence in the district attorney's handling of the case. The appointment transferred responsibility for examining the allegations; it did not establish criminal liability.

The reported messages describe Ingalls' response to the allegations, not what occurred during the party. The civil lawsuit remains unresolved, while the attorney general's office conducts a separate investigation into whether criminal charges are warranted.