TLDR
- Polymarket removed a contract that let users bet on whether seven men accused of raping a Cornell University student would face felony charges.
- The market launched on September 30 and drew more than $450,000 in trading volume before it was pulled.
- Attorney Cheyenne Hunt called the contract “dehumanizing, disgusting, and dangerous.”
- Polymarket said the market focused on whether the government would take action.
- No criminal charges have been filed, and the defendants deny the allegations.
Polymarket has removed a contract that let users bet on whether seven men accused of raping a Cornell University student would face felony sex crime charges.
The company pulled the market after public backlash. The removal was reported by GamblingNews.
The market launched on September 30 and was set to run until January 31. It recorded more than $450,000 in trading volume before it was taken down from Polymarket’s international platform.
The Case Behind the Contract
The contract was based on allegations made by a former Cornell University student. She is identified in court documents as Jane Doe.
Doe says she was drugged and gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. She filed a civil lawsuit on September 16 that names seven fraternity members as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges the men assaulted her after giving her alcohol, marijuana, and ketamine. The defendants have denied the allegations.
Local prosecutors first chose not to bring charges. The case was reopened after public backlash followed the filing of the lawsuit.
Critics Speak Out Against Polymarket
Attorney Cheyenne Hunt criticized the market in an Instagram post. She described it as “dehumanizing, disgusting, and dangerous.”
The sexual assault advocacy nonprofit I Have The Right To also spoke out. The group criticized Polymarket for turning allegations of sexual violence into a possible source of profit.
This is not the first time Polymarket has faced criticism over markets tied to criminal cases. The company was recently criticized for offering contracts on the outcome of the murder trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy. Those markets were not reported as removed.
Critics have said that markets linked to criminal cases could give people a financial reason to interfere with investigations or prosecutions.
The criticism also reached public figures tied to the company. Basketball star LeBron James endorses Polymarket and recently appeared in an advertisement for the company alongside director Spike Lee and others.
A representative for Spike Lee declined to comment.
Polymarket defended the contract. The company said its main goal is to provide objective, data-driven insight into the most important issues of the time.
It said the market focused on whether the government would take action. The company pointed to its belief in the wisdom of crowds, acknowledged public concerns, and confirmed the market had been removed.
Earlier this month, Polymarket said it partnered with Birches Health to provide mental health resources for traders with problematic buying behavior.
As of now, no criminal charges have been filed in the Cornell case. New York Attorney General Letitia James is serving as special prosecutor after being appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul.
