Cornell rape case: Hochul appoints Letitia James to investigate

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday said apparent major errors by Cornell University police and the Tompkins County district attorney investigating a former Cornell University student’s allegation that she was gang-raped at a fraternity house in 2024 had led her to appoint state Attorney General Letitia James to conduct an independent criminal investigation.

The former student "spoke to police, told them exactly what happened to her," Hochul said at a Manhattan news conference. "She was 100% confident had been raped. ... Shockingly, those words never made it into the account Cornell police sent to prosecutors." Hochul also said: "I'm deeply disturbed at Cornell University's police and how they handled this. ... Sending a partial record over is, in my judgment, a failure." 

Hochul also said that Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten's office "never interviewed" the alleged victim, who is identified as Jane Doe in court documents. 

"In what world would the police learn from the victim that she'd been literally gang-raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the DA? In what world would the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved or even request a full transcript" of earlier interviews, she said. 

James, also speaking at the news conference, said her office would conduct a "comprehensive investigation" she suggested could take months. "We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and if warranted, we will pursue prosecutions," she said. A spokesman for James' office declined to say who the investigation would target.  

Hochul also said she would work with the state Legislature to close what she said were gaps in state law relating to intoxication, consent and sexual assault.

Van Houten, responding to questions about Hochul's criticism and appointment of James to take over the case, said in a statement provided by his office: "I support the appointment of Attorney General James and I trust that she will examine the facts and apply the law. It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the University. The focus has been and should continue to be on the victims. My office will cooperate fully with the Attorney General."

Cornell University's press  office declined to specifically respond to that statement, but said in its own statement that the institution backs “the appointment of a special prosecutor and efforts to change New York State’s rape law and are committed to an independent external review of all aspects of how Cornell has handled this case.” The university earlier in the week agreed to an independent civil investigation by outside counsel, Hochul has said. 

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor challenging Hochul, said he believed James' appointment was "too little, too late." 

"This is something the attorney general's office isn't equipped to do and it's something that should be done by a seasoned prosecutor," Blakeman told reporters Friday at an unrelated campaign event in Middle Village, Queens. "Kathy Hochul and the [Cornell University] administration both dropped the ball. There should have been an investigation immediately."

A spokesman for James’ office declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Hochul campaign did not immediately respond. 

The woman’s allegations got a rush of new attention when she filed a civil lawsuit last month. Van Houten reopened the investigation Monday, but was  battered by criticism that he’d abandoned the original investigation too quickly.

Hochul’s announcement came shortly after dozens of students and community members spent hours demanding transparency and accountability from university leaders at a forum sponsored by Cornell’s student government. The case has roiled the Ivy League campus and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.

Doe reported the alleged assault to campus police in November 2024, then discussed it with the university’s internal investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.

The lawsuit against seven fraternity brothers, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and others, alleges that she was plied with drugs and alcohol, then subjected to sex acts by a group of men while partially or entirely incapacitated. One of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening, and inviting people to take part, according to the lawsuit.

Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client hadn’t touched the woman. The Associated Press said it attempted to reach the other men or their representatives but was unsuccessful.

When he reopened the investigation earlier this week, Van Houten said he would review new information in the woman’s lawsuit. He also defended his initial decision not to prosecute, saying her November 2024 statement did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped.

"On the contrary, Jane Doe’s statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual," he said, adding that the woman’s lawyers had never contacted him over discrepancies between the statement and the allegations in the civil suit.

Under pressure from the public and politicians, including Hochul, Cornell agreed Wednesday to bring in outside lawyers to independently investigate how it handled the woman’s allegations.

Cornell has said it took a series of actions after Doe reported being raped at the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.

It announced publicly that it had opened an investigation, condemned the alleged behavior, indefinitely suspended the fraternity, and convened a university task force to study ways to more effectively protect students against sexual assault.

The university also conducted a monthslong investigation, which ended with some students being disciplined or expelled, though it has declined to provide specifics, citing student privacy rules.

Newsday's Candice Ferrette and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.