New York Governor Names Special Prosecutor in Cornell Rape Case

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that a woman was drugged and sexually assaulted by several men at a fraternity house at Cornell University.

The case dates back to 2024 and was reopened after the woman filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell last month, bringing the allegations into the national spotlight.

Hochul said new information had raised serious questions about how the case had previously been handled and that she had lost confidence in the ability of Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten to oversee the investigation.

The governor’s decision removes Van Houten from responsibility for the case.

The BBC has contacted Van Houten’s office.

Attorney general takes over investigation

Van Houten had previously defended his office’s decision not to bring charges, saying prosecutors did not have enough evidence to meet the legal threshold.

After the civil lawsuit was filed, Van Houten announced that his office would reopen the case. He said much of the information that had emerged publicly in recent weeks had not previously been provided to his office.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul said.

James will have authority to prosecute any offences identified through her investigation, if warranted, and present evidence to a grand jury, according to the governor.

James said on X that she was prepared to lead an investigation guided by “the facts and the law”.

“The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” James said.

Allegations against Cornell students

The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit against the Ivy League university in September.

She alleges that she was drugged and raped by seven men at a fraternity house in 2024.

Doe also alleges that Cornell failed to protect her and did not adequately punish the men involved, who have subsequently become known as the Cornell Seven.

The case was initially referred to Van Houten, the county’s top prosecutor, in 2024.

Van Houten said his office did not pursue charges at that time because the material he had reviewed included a statement from Doe that appeared to suggest the encounter had been consensual and that she had not been drugged.

His office announced this week that it would reopen the investigation, less than two weeks after Doe filed her civil lawsuit.

Evidence from Cornell investigation

Cornell has said it provided prosecutors with evidence gathered during its own investigation.

Among the material was a Snapchat group chat in which fraternity members discussed what they described as a “free” sexual encounter with Doe on the night of the alleged assault.

Doe’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, has accused Van Houten of repeatedly changing his account of the case as media coverage intensified.

The appointment of a special prosecutor now shifts responsibility for the investigation from the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office to the New York Attorney General’s Office.