Special Prosecutor Appointed in Cornell Fraternity Rape Case

As detailed in court documents made public in a New York state court, Cornell University carried out an internal inquiry comprising upwards of 50 interviews across 32 witnesses following a student’s report that multiple men drugged and raped her at a fraternity house in October 2024. Court records indicate that at least one fraternity member is pursuing legal action to reverse the disciplinary penalties imposed on him and restore his academic standing.

The on-campus Chi Phi chapter was closed in 2024 and barred from campus following the allegations. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she had lost faith in the Tompkins County district attorney’s ability to fairly oversee the case and appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.

Disciplinary Investigation And Court Documents

The unsealed court records reveal that Cornell conducted more than 50 interviews with 32 witnesses as part of its Title IX investigation. The university stated it meted out a range of sanctions, including suspensions and expulsions, after the student filed her report. The civil rights law prohibits sex-based discrimination, including sexual violence. Litigation is currently being pursued by at least one fraternity member seeking to overturn his university disciplinary penalties and clean up his academic record.

Court files refer to the woman as Jane Doe, who, at 20 years old and enrolled at Cornell in October 2024, stated she was sexually assaulted by a group at the fraternity house while intoxicated, unable to give consent, and pushed to inhale ketamine. A fraternity member allegedly invited other members to the room via Snapchat, writing that there was free p—y and that others could walk in and whip it out.

I felt like bait. I felt like lions around me. It just was a totally debilitating place to be in.

Jane Doe

Governor Hochul Appoints Letitia James as Special Prosecutor

New York Governor Kathy Hochul named state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor after stating she no longer trusted Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten to handle the proceedings impartially. She appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, a decision that a Cornell spokesperson said the university supports. Van Houten had previously defended his 2024 office decision not to bring charges by stating that Doe had told police the sexual conduct and drug use was voluntary, conscious, and consensual. That description sparked widespread public outrage.

Following Doe filing a civil lawsuit last month against Cornell University and seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, Van Houten announced his office planned to pursue potential criminal charges based on new evidence. None of the accused students had faced criminal charges prior to the civil filing. An online petition from Cornell alumni has attracted more than 40,000 signatures, calling for a public apology from the Ivy League school and the removal of all school officials revealed to be complicit. Meanwhile, all seven accused men have been named in news reports and online platforms, with TMZ reporting that one of the men lost his job at a bank branch in Charlotte.

Empathy for an accuser and fairness to the accused are not mutually exclusive.

Charging Decisions and Evidence Transfers Remain Unknown

It remains unknown when the New York Attorney General’s Office will issue charging decisions or how long the special prosecutor’s review of the evidence will take. Cornell has not responded to questions regarding whether it turned over all evidence gathered from its internal interviews to law enforcement in 2024. The exact timeline for the court proceedings regarding the fraternity member’s challenge to his disciplinary action has not been specified.

More on this story: New York Prosecutors Reopen Investigation Into Alleged Cornell University Gang Rape After Lawsuit · Tompkins County DA Reopens Cornell University Assault Probe