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New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she had appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the Cornell University sexual assault case after losing faith in the local district attorney’s handling of the allegations. Hochul stated at a Friday news conference that the accuser had been failed at every turn by people and institutions obligated to protect her following her report of a gang rape at a fraternity house. The governor’s executive order came after a civil lawsuit filed last month detailed claims that the woman was drugged and assaulted while incapacitated in October 2024.
According to Hochul the woman told Cornell University police she was 100 percent confident she had been raped yet those details never reached the Tompkins County district attorney in the initial report. Hochul questioned how police could learn of an alleged gang rape involving five men at a fraternity house and fail to elevate the allegations while the district attorney did not interview the victim or request a full transcript before closing the case. The governor added that the young woman had endured something utterly unspeakable only to face further setbacks from those meant to deliver justice.
The accuser identified as Jane Doe in court filings alleged in her September 2026 lawsuit that she was pressured into consuming ketamine marijuana and alcohol at the Chi Phi fraternity on Cornell’s Ithaca campus on October 19 2024 leaving her unable to consent. She reported the incident to campus police approximately three weeks later according to details shared by Hochul and multiple news outlets covering the case. The lawsuit names seven current and former fraternity members along with the university itself as defendants claiming the assault lasted for hours and included physical violence that left bruises.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to pursue charges in 2024 determining that the available statement did not establish a crime had occurred but reopened the probe last month after the lawsuit surfaced and public scrutiny intensified. A report from CBS News cited in Hochul’s remarks indicated the campus police summary provided to prosecutors was only six pages long and omitted key assertions of nonconsent from the woman’s hours-long interview. Hochul emphasized that new reporting raised serious questions about the information relied upon in the original decision not to prosecute.
Cornell University has agreed to an independent review of its initial response to the allegations after Hochul called for outside counsel to examine the institution’s prevention reporting and support systems for students. The university issued a statement supporting the appointment of James as special prosecutor and reiterated its commitment to a safe campus environment though it has not commented on specific claims in the lawsuit. Earlier this week Hochul had described the allegations as horrifying and stressed that no student should doubt whether institutions will listen and act on such reports.
Attorney General Letitia James told reporters that the matter is now an active criminal investigation which will be pursued fully and fairly with all evidence examined and witnesses interviewed before any decisions on charges or grand jury presentation. James’ role as special prosecutor follows a precedent set in 2018 when then-Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed one to investigate a separate high-profile case. Hochul voiced support for closing legal loopholes around voluntary intoxication and consent noting that being too intoxicated to consent should not depend on whether drugs or alcohol were used willingly.
Hochul’s intervention has drawn attention to broader challenges in campus sexual assault prosecutions with the governor underscoring the need to restore public confidence in the system. The case has reinvigorated discussions about fraternity culture at elite universities and the handling of such reports by both campus and local authorities. James pledged that every New Yorker deserves assurance that reported crimes will be investigated thoroughly regardless of the circumstances.
