BUZZ
A former president of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity has been removed as a defendant from the so-called Cornell 7 civil lawsuit because he was wrongly identified as the fraternity chapter’s president at the time of an alleged assault.
The Jane Doe complaint claiming she was drugged and gang raped by fraternity brothers in October 2024 had named Orazio Petito as a defendant — but he was not the fraternity chapter’s president at the time the alleged incident occurred.
“Petito was never accused of taking part in the alleged assault but was named in the lawsuit as the president of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter,” ABC News reported.
Petito’s attorney, Eric Bernstein, told ABC News: “They had the wrong the guy and justice was served as far as Mr. Petito was concerned. We are all pleased with the outcome, and it was the right outcome.”
Petito is not one of the seven men accused in the lawsuit, but he had been named a defendant along with university officials, a local bar, the sorority Doe belonged to, the Chi Phi fraternity corporation, and several other unnamed defendants.
The former students have said the sex was consensual, and Doe previously told authorities she acted voluntarily and with full knowledge of her actions.
MORE: Cornell lawsuit sparks debate on consent for both accuser and accused
