Chaminade graduate, Orazio Petito, named in lawsuit as president of Cornell fraternity at time of alleged gang rape

A lawsuit filed by a former Cornell University student names a Chaminade High School graduate as the president of the fraternity where the plaintiff said she was sexually assaulted by several fraternity members, officials confirmed Monday.

Orazio Petito, of Glen Cove, is not accused of taking part in the alleged assault, but he was named in the lawsuit filed by the woman because, the plaintiff said in court papers, he was head of the Chi Phi fraternity at the time, in October 2024.

When reached by telephone Monday evening, Petito’s defense attorney, Eric Bernstein, said his client was “not the president at the time of the alleged incident.” He declined to comment further on the case.

Chaminade officials confirmed Petito graduated from the prestigious all-boys Catholic school in Mineola, but they said on Monday they had no further comment.

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 16 in New York State Supreme Court, accuses seven Cornell students of carrying out the rape. None have been criminally charged.

The case has sent shock waves across the Cornell campus and around the country, focusing a spotlight on the issue of sexual assault of women on college campuses.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed New York State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate the allegations at Cornell after widespread criticism that Cornell campus police and the Tompkins County district attorney failed to properly handle the case.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of the plaintiff, Jane Doe, states “that at all relevant times, Petito was responsible for supervising and maintaining in a safe condition, XI CHAPTER’s fraternity house and its members.”

It alleged that “Petito held himself out to the public, and more particularly to Plaintiff herein, as possessing the proper degree of knowledge and training to adequately protect Cornell’s students.”

Petito “breached his duty to supervise and maintain Xi chapter’s fraternity house in a safe condition, as Plaintiff was plied with alcohol and drugs to the point of intoxication by members of XI CHAPTER’s fraternal organization, which resulted in Plaintiff being sexually assaulted and raped by members of XI CHAPTER’s regional fraternal organization at Cornell,” court papers said.

Petito also was a member of the Cornell rugby football club, according to the club’s website, along with three fraternity members accused in the lawsuit of sexually assaulting Jane Doe.

In a post on Instagram on Friday, the club stated that “players who were known to be connected with the alleged events were permanently removed from the team and alumni network as soon as their affiliation with the incident was established.”

The club said it has “zero tolerance for sexual misconduct” and that no current members of the club have ever been affiliated with Chi Phi.

“The conduct alleged is horrific and fundamentally inconsistent with the values of the Cornell Rugby community,” the statement read. “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victim who came forward.”