Cornell expels Jonathan Newell over sexual misconduct involving Jane Doe

Cornell University has expelled Jonathan Newell after a disciplinary panel found that he had engaged in sexual activity with a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe without her consent, her lawyer said.

Cornell University has expelled Jonathan Newell after a disciplinary panel found that he had engaged in sexual activity with a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe without her consent, her lawyer said.

Attorney Thomas Giuffra told TMZ that the finding followed 12 days of evidentiary hearings and the review of extensive documentary evidence. The panel found that Newell had violated Doe’s bodily safety by beginning intercourse without her consent, Giuffra said.

The case stems from an alleged sexual assault at a Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell in Ithaca, New York, on Oct. 19, 2024. Doe has filed a civil lawsuit against seven fraternity members, the university and others, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by multiple men during the gathering. The defendants’ alleged conduct is the subject of legal proceedings, and the allegations should not be treated as criminal convictions.

According to Doe’s lawsuit, she initially consented to some sexual activity with Newell and another defendant, Matthew Ingalls, but says the encounters later became non-consensual. She alleges that she repeatedly pushed Newell’s hand away and that other men subsequently became involved in sexual activity without her consent.

Giuffra said the disciplinary panel also found that Newell had exposed Doe’s vulnerability to others, contributing to further abuse. The lawyer pointed to a Snapchat message attributed to Newell that used the phrase “Free p*y” and a photograph of Doe on a bed.**

Text messages exchanged between Doe and Newell in the days after the alleged assault have also drawn attention. In a message dated Nov. 3, Doe wrote that “90% of what happened that night was not consensual”, according to TMZ, which reported on the messages.

Giuffra said that survivors of sexual assault may not immediately identify their experiences as rape, particularly when the person accused is a friend or romantic partner. He said survivors may question their own understanding of what happened.

Cornell also expelled Ingalls, while other fraternity members received different disciplinary sanctions, according to reporting by the Cornell Daily Sun. The university closed the fraternity’s campus chapter in 2024.

No criminal charges were initially brought in the case. After Doe’s civil lawsuit drew renewed attention to the allegations, the criminal investigation was reopened, and New York Attorney General Letitia James was appointed special prosecutor. Lawyers for some of the accused men have denied that their clients participated in sexual assault.