An "idk" reply to her roommate is now evidence in the Cornell Jane Doe fight over consent

A two-line text conversation from the night of a 2024 Chi Phi fraternity party has become a new flashpoint in the Cornell University case. One of the men Jane Doe accuses of rape argues the messages show she was alert enough to consent.

The messages

The exchange was part of the record in Cornell's internal disciplinary hearing. With the party still going at 3:05 a.m., one of her roommates texted to ask, "You coming home tn (tonight)?"

Jane Doe wrote back "idk," shorthand for "I don't know."

Why the timing matters

Whether she was incapacitated may be the central question in deciding if she was able to agree to sex that night. By her account several men snorted ketamine from her body while she was too dazed to grasp what was going on.

The roommate's text landed roughly 30 to 60 minutes after the period she describes. At least one accused man contends that reading the message and answering it means she was not incapacitated, according to people familiar with the hearing.

The roommate's post

The same roommate has said Jane Doe seemed to be in a fog that night. She has also said her friend pieced together what happened over the following days and weeks.

At 11:15 a.m. the next morning the roommate shared a photo with the caption "It was a good night when only one out three of us made it back."

No response yet

A lawyer for Jane Doe was asked about the texts and has not replied so far.