Former Cornell Fraternity President Dropped From Suit

Orazio Petito has been dismissed with prejudice from a civil lawsuit alleging that a Cornell Chi Phi fraternity member was incorrectly identified as chapter president when a former student says she was drugged and sexually assaulted at the fraternity house in 2024. Petito was not accused of participating in the alleged assault; the claim against him concerned an alleged failure to supervise fraternity members, and his attorney said he was not president at the time. The lawsuit’s allegations against the other defendants remain unresolved, and they deny wrongdoing. New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed to investigate the case, while Cornell has also faced scrutiny over its response.