DataAnnotation says it blocked Cornell student Matthew Ingalls from its platform in May 2024, months before he was accused of sexually assaulting a classmate at a fraternity house.
The company said Ingalls was an independent contractor rather than an employee and had not had access to its platform or its business since he was blocked.
A DataAnnotation spokesperson said: “Jane Doe’s allegations of assault are horrifying. While this individual had signed up on our platform, we blocked him in May 2024. He has had no access to our platform or our company at any point since then.”
The clarification follows social media claims that the artificial intelligence company had dismissed Ingalls after a lawsuit brought renewed attention to the allegations against him and six other Chi Phi fraternity members.
Allegations against Cornell students
The lawsuit alleges that Jane Doe was drugged and sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell in October 2024.
She reported the incident to police in 2024, but prosecutors did not bring criminal charges at the time. The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office said there was not enough evidence then, but has now reopened the investigation and plans to present the case to a grand jury.
The allegations have prompted a new wave of social media posts identifying the employers of the men and claiming that some had lost their jobs. DataAnnotation said that was not the case with Ingalls, who had already been blocked five months before the alleged assault.
Another man accused in the lawsuit, Diego Sarabia, did lose his job at Wells Fargo amid the lawsuit and the renewed investigation.
