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# New York Attorney General Takes Over Cornell University Gang-Rape Investigation
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/new-york-attorney-general-takes-over-cornell-university-gang-rape-investigation/
- Published: 2026-10-02T09:29:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T09:29:35.000Z
- Description: New York’s attorney general will investigate allegations that a Cornell student was drugged and sexually assaulted by fraternity members in 2024, after a civil lawsuit raised serious questions about the original police, prosecutorial and university responses.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: United States, Education, Crime, conflict, The Day So Far, has-audio, Top Stories

New York authorities have taken control of an investigation into allegations that a Cornell University student was drugged and sexually assaulted by several fraternity members, following mounting criticism of how the case was initially handled.

[Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-releases-statement-appointment-special-prosecutor?ref=theglobalvoice.com) after declaring that newly released information had raised serious questions about the original police investigation and the decision not to bring criminal charges. The order removed the case from Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, whose office had reopened the investigation only days earlier.

The allegations concern an incident at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca on October 19, 2024\. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court papers, was then 20 years old. She alleges that fraternity members supplied her with alcohol, marijuana and a substance believed to be ketamine before sexually assaulting her while she was incapacitated.

> CBS New York has obtained new text messages reportedly exchanged between a former Cornell University student and a Chi Phi fraternity brother she has now accused of raping her in 2024\. The messages indicate that, two days after the alleged assault, she wrote that she did not… [pic.twitter.com/K535LpECjX](https://t.co/K535LpECjX?ref=theglobalvoice.com)
> 
> — Mosheh Oinounou (@Mosheh) [September 29, 2026](https://x.com/Mosheh/status/2104990971083608541?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theglobalvoice.com)

A civil lawsuit filed in September names seven current or former fraternity members, Cornell University, [Chi Phi organisations](https://chiphi.org/chi-phi-clubs/?ref=theglobalvoice.com), a local bar and sorority organisations as defendants. The complaint alleges that messages were exchanged among fraternity members during the incident, including one purportedly encouraging others to participate.

Lawyers representing some of the accused have denied wrongdoing or maintained that the sexual activity was consensual. One lawyer said his client was not involved in an assault and described a message attributed to him as an immature comment.

The local district attorney originally declined to prosecute the case. Van Houten later said the student’s initial police statement described her drug use and sexual activity as voluntary, conscious and consensual. Her lawyer disputes that characterisation and argues that records from Cornell’s internal proceedings show she consistently communicated that much of what occurred was not consensual.

The release of material from Cornell’s Title IX process intensified scrutiny of the original inquiry. More than 1,000 pages of university records reportedly include interviews, messages and accounts showing the student’s efforts to understand and report what had happened.

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Cornell said its internal investigation resulted in serious disciplinary action, including suspensions and expulsions. The university also barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus, while the fraternity’s national organisation said the members connected to the episode were expelled. Cornell has nevertheless commissioned an external review of its response and expressed support for a renewed criminal investigation.

The controversy has produced protests and public meetings at Cornell, where students have demanded greater transparency and stronger safeguards against sexual violence. Ithaca officials have also placed additional scrutiny on permits for large student events.

James’s office will now determine how the investigation proceeds and whether the available evidence should be presented to a grand jury. The transfer does not establish the truth of the allegations or presume the guilt of those named. It does, however, ensure that decisions in a case already marked by competing accounts will be reconsidered outside the office that initially declined prosecution.

The outcome could also influence a wider debate over fraternity culture, campus disciplinary systems and the difficulties of investigating sexual-assault allegations involving intoxication, delayed reporting and disputed consent.