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If you’ve spent any time online this week, then you’ve no doubt heard about the horrific allegations coming out of Cornell University.
Now, a former student who has been accused of gang rape is speaking out through his attorney.
Gillio Lopes is one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity members named in a civil lawsuit filed by a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted inside the fraternity house in October 2024.
Lopes is pushing back on those allegations in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“Cornell previously investigated this matter and developed an extensive factual record,” attorney Tara J. Davis told TMZ.
“The allegations now being made publicly differ in significant respects from the accounts provided during that investigation and do not reflect the complete record,” Davis added.
Lopes’ legal team says those differences will become a central issue as the case moves forward.
“Those inconsistencies will be tested through discovery and addressed in the litigation,” Davis said.
Lopes’ attorney previously gave CBS News a similarly forceful statement, saying that her client “unequivocally denies the allegations against him” and emphasizing that accusations are not proof.
The allegations stem from an October 2024 incident at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house. Jane Doe claims she was intoxicated and later given drugs before being sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members.
She subsequently reported the incident to Cornell police.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced this week that his office is reopening its criminal investigation and plans to present the evidence to a grand jury. No criminal charges have been filed against Lopes or the other men at this time.
The DA has said that the account provided by Jane Doe in 2024 differed substantially from allegations contained in her more recent civil lawsuit. Specifically, Van Houten has said her original statement did not allege that she had been drugged against her will or gang raped.
At the same time, attorneys for Jane Doe have disputed that characterization and pointed to additional evidence, including interviews and messages that they say support her account.
Cornell has also confirmed that its own investigation resulted in disciplinary action against several of the accused students. According to the university, two were expelled and two others were suspended for at least two semesters. The Chi Phi chapter was also closed and remains barred from campus.
For now, Lopes remains adamant that he did not sexually assault the woman.
And with the criminal investigation now being revisited, his defense team appears prepared to challenge the allegations in court.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thehollywoodgossip.com
