A New York man was mistakenly identified as member of the ‘Cornell 7.’ His family is being bombarded with abuse

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A New York man was mistakenly identified as a defendant in a gang rape lawsuit against Cornell University students — and now his family is being bombarded by harasssment, according to a new report.

On September 26, Victoria Ingalls was served with a 101-page lawsuit naming her son, Matthew Ingalls, as one of seven Cornell students accused by a former student of drugging, raping and abusing her at a fraternity house in October 2024, The Free Press reported. The civil suit was filed by a plaintiff identified as Jane Doe earlier this month after the case generated nationwide attention.

But, there had been an error. Victoria Ingalls’ son — a 23-year-old Marine Corps sergeant — was never a student at the Ivy League university. Somehow, court papers were served on the wrong Matthew Ingalls and his mother’s upstate New York address was incorrectly entered on the court docket.

A spokesperson for Camp Lejeune, a North Carolina base where Ingalls’ son is stationed, confirmed that he was mistakenly served. And an attorney at the firm representing Jane Doe said it was working with the court to correct the error, telling The Free Press: “Service upon the correct Matthew Ingalls is being arranged.”

The Ingalls actually accused in the civil suit of participating in the alleged attack has not been criminally charged. He, or a lawyer, has not spoken out on his behalf.

But as a result of the mix-up, Victoria Ingalls says her family has been inundated with online abuse. Internet users posted relatives’ personal information, including phone numbers and their home address, and some family members received threatening text messages, she said.

One message read: “Do the world a favor and go kill yourself.” Another said: “Get f**** in the a** to death b***.”

“My family’s been terrorized, threatened, and harassed,” Victoria Ingalls told the outlet. “I am just amazed at the way people behave.”

“I can’t believe that people will just look someone up on the internet, take a phone number, and start texting someone or calling someone and saying the vile things they’re saying,” she said. “You don’t even know if you have the right person. You’re creating more victims.”

“You can’t just lash out at random at somebody because they have the same name,” she added.

She said she understood why people were angry at the case and that she “feels for the victim in this case and everything she’s been through.”

“But,” she added, “we just really want to be left alone.”

The Independent has contacted Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman LLP, the firm representing Jane Doe, for comment.

The case began in November 2024, when a Cornell student told campus police that she had been drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, the previous month. Cornell temporarily suspended the accused students as it investigated the allegations.

Later that month, the Tompkins County district attorney’s office reviewed the campus police investigation and declined to file criminal charges, saying the available evidence did not support a prosecution.

In January 2025, the student, identified in court filings as Jane Doe, filed a complaint with Cornell’s Title IX coordinator. The university subsequently held a series of hearings.

On September 16, Jane Doe sued Cornell, the fraternity and seven men she accused of sexually assaulting her. Twelve days later, the district attorney’s office said it was reopening its investigation to establish whether to file criminal charges, citing new allegations it said were not part of the original complaint. No arrests have been made.

Attorneys for at least three of the men have issued statements denying criminal wrongdoing, while others have not made public statements.