@theatlantic: What the men accused in the Cornell case did was wrong—whether or not their actions satisfy a criminal standard of proof, Helen Lewis argues: “Last month, a former Cornell University student referred to in legal papers as Jane Doe alleged that seven men had participated in an hours-long assault on her at a fraternity house in 2024,” Lewis writes. The complainant alleges that she was drunk when she met a friend, Matthew Ingalls, at the Chi Phi fraternity house and began a threesome with Ingalls and his friend, Jonathan Newell. She says that another man later came into the room and initiated sex with her. A photo included in the lawsuit indicates that Newell sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group promising “free pussy” in the room, which was “greeted with the equivalent of high-fives from several men,” Lewis writes. “‘I fucking love Chi Phi,’ Ingalls replied, according to the image, and added, ‘like you can walk in and whip it out.’” According to Doe’s lawsuit, multiple other members of Chi Phi entered the room: One of them kissed her, two others joined in snorting ketamine off her naked body, and a seventh participated in another threesome with her and Ingalls.” (All seven men have denied wrongdoing.) “Jane Doe did not arrive at the frat house that night with the intention of participating in an orgy; that much has not been disputed. The narrow legal question is therefore whether the various men involved obtained her further consent as the sexual scenario spiraled,” Lewis continues. “Whether any of the men are guilty of rape is a matter for the New York court system. However, the evidence we have so far convicts them of being cruel, misogynistic jerks.” The academic literature on multiple-perpetrator rape finds that, in the words of the forensic psychologist Mackenzie Lambine, “sexual elements within juvenile group offending are often ‘coincidental’—secondary to the need for the group to exercise power over the victim, exert male dominance and develop relationship bonds.” Jane Doe “thought she had signed up for mutually pleasurable group sex,” Lewis continues. “She discovered later that she was just a prop in a bonding exercise among men.” 📸: Heather Ainsworth / AP

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Thursday 08 October 2026 21:40:00 GMT