New York governor backs reopening investigation of Cornell sex assault claims

Gov. Kathy Hochul supported state prosecutors' decision to continue investigating an alleged sex assault at a Cornell University fraternity, according to a Tuesday statement. The Tompkins County District Attorney's office planned to resume looking into gang rape allegations originally brought by a young woman against seven Cornell students in 2024, according to a Monday statement. Hochul characterized the accusations as horrifying and said she supported the case’s revival. The case also posed serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for preventing and reporting sexual assault, Hochul added.

The former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, alleged she was drugged and raped by seven former and current members of the Ivy League’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter, according to a civil lawsuit filed two weeks ago. The woman’s lawsuit included graphic allegations, triggering a massive public response against county officials who opted against charging the suspects involved at the time, according to the county’s Monday statement.

Why weren’t the accused students charged previously? The allegations described in the new lawsuit do not match the victim’s account when she first came forward in 2024, according to a statement by Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. In 2024, Houten said the victim did not claim to have been drugged against her will and gang raped. On the contrary, she described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, according to Houten. Houten said her attorneys never contacted him to notify him that her original statement was inaccurate or to request that he reconsider his initial decision.

Will prosecutors charge the men involved this time? Prosecutors began the process of determining what charges could be brought against the men, and started conversations with Jane Doe’s team, according to the Monday statement. Prosecutors planned to present the case evidence and witness testimony to a grand jury, which would vote on whether to issue indictments. Tompkins County planned to zealously prosecute charges against any and all involved to the fullest extent of the law, according to the office.