The recently surfaced allegations surrounding a 2024 sexual assault at Cornell University are now drawing swift action from New York officials. On Thursday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed special prosecutor to investigate the case.
“As special prosecutor, the Attorney General will investigate this incident and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses arising from that investigation and present evidence to a grand jury,” Hochul said in a statement.
“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.”
She added that the young woman at the center of the case “deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued.”
The case centers on a former Cornell University student, identified as Jane Doe, who filed a lawsuit last month alleging that she was raped and sexually assaulted by members of the Chi Phi fraternity after being pressured to consume drugs and alcohol in October 2024.
According to Doe, she reported the incident to Cornell police about three weeks later. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, whose office reviewed the case, said prosecutors found insufficient grounds to bring criminal charges then.
Van Houten has said Doe’s original statement described her drug use and some sexual conduct as voluntary and consensual. But newly surfaced portions of her 2024 police interview have raised questions about that characterization. In a transcript obtained by CBS News New York, Doe reportedly told Cornell police, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” and described aspects of the encounter as coercive.
Van Houten has reopened the investigation after renewed attention to the civil lawsuit, but Hochul’s executive order now gives James’ office authority to investigate independently and, if warranted, prosecute the case.
None of the seven men named in the lawsuit has been criminally charged.
Hochul said “newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation” and has “undercut my faith, and the public’s faith” in the local district attorney’s ability to handle the case.
Among the evidence drawing scrutiny are Snapchat messages included in the lawsuit that allegedly encouraged other fraternity members to participate in the encounter. Cornell and the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office have also offered conflicting accounts about whether a screenshot of those messages was provided to prosecutors during the original investigation. Photo evidence may also exist, according to a recent report by TMZ.
Chi Phi Fraternity has said it cannot discuss the specific allegations while litigation is pending but has called them deeply concerning. Cornell says the university’s Xi chapter of Chi Phi remains barred from campus.