A US Marine whose name was mistakenly included in a Cornell gang rape lawsuit has said his family is facing death threats after his mother’s home address was made public in court records.
Sergeant Matthew Ingalls, who serves at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, has never attended Cornell University and is not the man accused in the sexual assault case. The lawsuit instead names a Cornell student with the same name.
The Marine’s mother, Victoria Ingalls, said the family was mistakenly served with the legal papers after the wrong Matthew Ingalls was identified. Their address was then added to the official court docket.
Online users searching for the defendant reportedly found the family’s address and phone number and shared them online, unaware that they had identified the wrong person.
Victoria Ingalls said the family had since been subjected to persistent harassment and threats. She said messages included: “go kill yourself” and “get f***ed in the a** to death bitch.”
In another incident, the Marine’s sister received a message containing a photograph of the Cornell student named in the lawsuit alongside a Google Earth image showing her brother’s home. The family regarded it as a clear threat.
“My family’s been terrorized, threatened, and harassed,” Victoria Ingalls said. “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.”
“You don’t even know if you have the right person. You’re creating more victims,” she added.
Victoria said she was scared for her children and wanted the family to be left alone. She also expressed sympathy for the woman who brought the lawsuit, saying she “feels for the victim in this case and everything she’s been through.”
The Cornell student Matthew Ingalls was named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed last month in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.
A criminal investigation has since been reopened, and the Tompkins County district attorney has said evidence will be presented to a grand jury. No charges have been filed.
