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Scott Kretzschmar: Chi Phi member's lawyer speaks out on Cornell rape allegations, ‘It’s not okay to victimize…’
A Cornell University fraternity member, Scott Kretzschmar, faces a lawsuit accusing him and others of sexual assault.
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A resident of Casco Township has been identified as a defendant in a legal action that alleges several members of a Cornell University fraternity engaged in sexual assault against a female student in 2024.
The complaint, submitted under anonymity on September 16, names Scott Kretzschmar and six additional members of Cornell's Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity as participants in multiple alleged incidents occurring on October 19, 2024, and extending into the early morning hours of October 20, 2024, at the Chi Phi fraternity residence located on campus.
The allegations encompass sexual assault, coercion of a woman into drug use, and consumption of drugs from the woman's body.
Scott Kretzschmar's lawyer breaks silence on allegations
Deep Dive
Legal representative Jeremy Saland, counsel for Kretzschmar of Casco Township, issued a statement addressing the civil litigation.
Denying the accusations in the complaint against Kretzschmar, Saland said, “It is disappointing the claims against him were even made by the plaintiff considering we possess documents that thoroughly corroborate our position while discrediting hers, including her own words, statements from other parties, and scientific evidence demonstrating they are false.”
Saland continued, “Our legal system allows anyone to make a complaint, criminal or otherwise, even a wrongful one. However, it is lost on no one that the District Attorney's Office, led by a chief prosecutor with the duty to pursue justice and uphold the rule of law without bias or favor, filed no charges against Scott."
“Simply, the evidence, or, more accurately, lack thereof, didn't even muster up to the nominal standard of probable cause to arrest because the allegations against him as described did not happen.”
Scott Kretzschmar’s lawyer claims client ‘never touched accuser’
Speaking on on NewsNation’s CUOMO, the lawyer said that Kretzschmar categorically denies any physical contact or sexual involvement with her.
“It’s not okay to victimize an innocent person to further your goal, whatever that may be,” Saland told Chris Cuomo.
The attorney stated that his client was present in the room for only a brief period before departing, as he determined from his observations that she was in satisfactory condition. According to Saland's account, she was fully clothed, conscious, and capable of communicating without difficulty.
Saland noted that the lawsuit contained allegations that Kretzschmar had inhaled ketamine from her body. He asserted that his client underwent a hair follicle examination, which revealed no presence of ketamine in his system. Furthermore, Saland pointed out an inconsistency within the legal filing, noting that while the introductory portion designates his client as facing rape allegations, this specific charge is absent from the substantive content of the complaint.
Cuomo inquired regarding a Snapchat group shared among fraternity members that allegedly contained an offensive message encouraging people to proceed upstairs during the alleged assault described by Doe.
Saland stated that Kretzschmar was not the author of that message. However, according to his recollection, Kretzschmar did respond subsequently within the conversation thread. He explained that his client ascended the stairs in search of an individual with whom he had previously spent time.
“Anything on that text thread is immature,” Saland stated.
DA reopens Cornell ‘gang rape’ case
Cornell police conducted an investigation into the allegations during 2024, after which the Tompkins County District Attorney closed the case without pursuing charges. Following the filing of the lawsuit, District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has announced his intention to present the matter to a grand jury, where Doe is anticipated to provide testimony.
