New York Prosecutors Reopen Investigation Into Alleged Cornell University Gang Rape After Lawsuit

New York prosecutors have reopened an investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University after the woman who reported the assault filed a civil lawsuit against the school, according to Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. The case involves seven students who were allegedly involved in the assault at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Sept. 28, 2026, that his office will present evidence regarding the seven students to a grand jury for a possible indictment. The announcement follows a civil lawsuit filed on Sept. 16, 2026, by the woman who reported the assault, who is identified as Jane Doe in court filings. The lawsuit alleges that the 20-year-old student was plied with alcohol, smoked marijuana, and pressured into snorting ketamine during a party at the Chi Phi fraternity house before being sexually assaulted over a period of hours.

According to the complaint, the victim became completely incapacitated while fraternity members assaulted her and used a Snapchat group chat to encourage others to join. The lawsuit names the seven students, the Chi Phi fraternity, Cornell University, an Ithaca bar, and other defendants, seeking undisclosed financial damages.

Prosecutorial Review and Grand Jury Plans

District Attorney Matthew Van Houten addressed questions regarding why criminal charges were not pursued when the incident was first reported in October 2024. He stated that the initial statement the woman provided to campus police described her drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.

“The young men who engaged in that conduct were morally wrong. It was disgusting,” Van Houten said in statements reported by CNN and NPR. “And so she reported that to the police, and the police investigated it. That does not mean, if it’s morally wrong or disgusting or offensive, all those things, it does not mean that the penal law was violated.”

Van Houten stated that the details provided in the recent civil lawsuit differed from the original 2024 statement, prompting his office to reconsider the case. “Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence,” Van Houten said. “I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members. I have already begun that process, starting with our conversation with Jane Doe and her attorneys.”

Thomas Giuffra, an attorney representing the survivor, told CNN that the initial police report was not materially different from the civil lawsuit’s claims and criticized the district attorney’s office for not pursuing a more thorough investigation sooner. Meanwhile, defense attorneys representing individuals named in the suit have questioned whether an indictment will follow. Jeremy Saland, a defense attorney representing one of the fraternity members, stated that his client merely responded to the group chat with an immature comment and welcomed further investigation by the district attorney.

University Disciplinary Actions and Campus Fallout

Cornell University officials stated that the institution supports the district attorney’s decision to reopen the investigation. In an official statement, university spokesperson Kyle Kimball noted that the specific chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity involved in the case was closed and barred from campus in 2024.

The university defended its internal handling of the 2024 incident, noting that it conducted an internal disciplinary investigation involving a panel of trained faculty and staff over multiple days, where both the complainant and the accused students had opportunities to present evidence and testify. That process resulted in a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions.

“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” Kimball said in a statement reported by Reuters. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.”

School officials declined to release specific details on the exact number of students expelled or suspended, citing federal student privacy laws.

Public Scrutiny and Calls for Independent Oversight

The handling of the initial 2024 investigation has drawn heavy criticism because the allegations were investigated exclusively by Cornell campus police rather than being referred to the Ithaca Police Department or New York State Police investigators. The mayor of Ithaca publicly called the handling of the case an irresponsible miscarriage of justice.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also voiced deep concerns regarding how the allegations were managed, calling for an independent probe into Cornell University’s actions. The case drew global online attention across Instagram and other social media platforms following the filing of the civil lawsuit in September 2026, with online users sharing commentary, criticism, and photos of individuals named in the legal filings.