New York appoints special prosecutor in Cornell sexual-assault investigation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in a renewed investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving Cornell University students. Hochul said the accuser, identified in public records as Jane Doe, had been failed by campus police and the Tompkins County district attorney’s office. She said the decision followed her review of what she called troubling details in the handling of the case.

The woman reported the incident to campus police after an encounter at the Chi Phi fraternity house. She alleged that she had been drugged and repeatedly sexually assaulted. The original criminal investigation closed without charges in 2024.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the account sent to his office did not include an allegation that she had been drugged against her will and was unable to consent. Hochul said the police account did not accurately reflect what the woman had told investigators. James said she could not predict how long the investigation would take.

She said her office would gather evidence and interview those involved before reaching conclusions. The investigation was reopened after the woman filed a lawsuit in September 2026 against seven former fraternity members and Cornell. The case has prompted protests at the university and broader public attention.

Cornell said it had carried out a comprehensive Title IX investigation, barred the fraternity and imposed disciplinary measures on students. The university has not disclosed all outcomes but said some students were expelled. The university supports James’s appointment and said it was committed to an independent external review of its handling of the matter.

The special prosecutor’s inquiry is separate from the civil case and from Cornell’s internal disciplinary process. The supplied material did not indicate whether criminal charges had been filed against any of the students.