New York Attorney General Takes Over Cornell University Rape Investigation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul took the Cornell University gang rape investigation away from local prosecutor Matthew Van Houten this week following widespread public anger. The case centers on a woman who sued Cornell and seven former students last month, stating she was given ketamine and sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

Investigation Details

State Attorney General Letitia James is now the special prosecutor for the case and stated on Friday that the process will take months with no set outcome. The victim reported the incident to campus police three weeks after it happened. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to file charges after seeing a police summary. He later said campus police left out a transcript where the woman stated she was 100 percent confident she was raped. Van Houten reopened the case after the civil lawsuit was filed, stating that seeking justice requires looking at new evidence.

University And Student Response

Cornell cleared some accused men and expelled others, though the school has not shared full investigation results. Fraternity presidents at Cornell unanimously voted to cancel their social events for the weekend, and twenty student groups are planning a protest. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff called the allegations deeply disturbing in a video message on Saturday and promised more transparency.

Context

New York is one of 19 states where the law makes it harder to prosecute cases involving people who are too drunk to give consent. Governor Hochul stated she supports changing this law following the public outcry over the case.