New York governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell fraternity rape case

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state attorney general’s office to oversee an investigation into a woman’s allegations that she was gang raped at a Cornell University fraternity house.

Hochul signed an executive order on Thursday naming the office of Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor. The investigation was initially closed without charges in 2024.

The case gained renewed attention after the woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit last month against seven fraternity members, Cornell University, the Chi Phi fraternity and others.


Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation on Monday. However, Hochul said recent disclosures had raised questions about the original investigation and weakened her confidence in Van Houten’s ability to handle the case.

“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's campus in October 2024,” Hochul said.

“This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public's faith, in the District Attorney's ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time."

The attorney general’s office will oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury, Hochul said.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul said. “This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigor that this matter demands.”

Allegations against Cornell fraternity members

The woman reported the alleged assault to Cornell campus police in November 2024. She later discussed the incident with the university’s internal investigators as part of its disciplinary process.

According to the civil lawsuit, she was given drugs and alcohol before being subjected to sex acts by several men while she was partly or entirely unable to consent.

The lawsuit alleges that one of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members describing what was happening and inviting them to participate.

According to an AP report, Van Houten said he would review information included in the lawsuit after reopening the investigation. He also defended his earlier decision not to bring charges, saying the woman’s initial account to police did not allege that she had been drugged against her will, incapacitated beyond the ability to consent or forced to have sex.

Cornell said on Wednesday that it would appoint outside lawyers to independently examine how the university handled the allegations.

Cornell students demand accountability

Hochul’s announcement came after dozens of students and community members attended a forum organised by Cornell’s student government to discuss the case and the university’s handling of sexual assault allegations.

The forum lasted more than two and a half hours. Students and other members of the Cornell community expressed anger, frustration and grief, while some spoke about their own experiences of sexual violence.

Several speakers criticised Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff and the university administration. They called for greater transparency, stronger prevention efforts and changes to the university’s Greek-life system.

Jane Wang, a Cornell sophomore, told AP she received extensive paperwork but little guidance or follow-up after reporting that she had been sexually assaulted on campus a year ago.

After an initial email exchange about beginning an investigation, Wang said she received few updates and had to repeatedly seek information.

The process left her with an “overall sense of helplessness within a broader institution,” she said.

“My main message for Cornell here is that we can't be treating these cases only with care and attention after it catches national news,” Wang said. She called on the university to improve the “seriousness and timeliness” of its response to sexual assault allegations.