NY Governor removes under-fire DA from alleged Cornell gang rape case and appoints Letitia James as special prosecutor
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Thursday appointing the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate an alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house, stripping the local prosecutor of the case.
Hochul cited a loss of confidence in the Tompkins County district attorney following newly revealed details about the handling of the October 2024 incident.
“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024,” Hochul said.
“This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public’s faith, in the District Attorney’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time.”
Under the executive order, the attorney general will direct the probe and present evidence to a grand jury if necessary.
“That’s wonderful news … my client and I had zero confidence in this district attorney’s ability to prosecute this case,” Thomas Giuffra, an attorney for the alleged victim, told NewsNation’s “CUOMO” following the governor's decision.
Giuffra welcomed the announcement while questioning the initial investigation conducted by campus police and the local district attorney’s original decision against filing charges.
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul said. “This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigor that this matter demands.”
The governor’s decision followed a tense evening on campus, where dozens of students and community members gathered for more than two and a half hours at a forum organized by Cornell’s student government. Attendees expressed frustration over the private university’s handling of sexual assault complaints involving fraternity members, with several speakers detailing their own experiences with sexual violence.
During the forum, the Student Assembly passed resolutions calling for increased transparency in sexual assault cases, a review of orientation programs regarding consent and substance abuse, and the provision of free counseling services for survivors.
“I think what happened here is an American problem,” said Hayden Watkins, an undergraduate and executive vice president of the Student Assembly. “People kind of put Cornell on this pedestal because we are an elite institution. But if it’s happening at places like Cornell, it’s happening on college campuses all across the country.”
Sophomore Jane Wang said in an interview with the Associated Press outside the event that she faced minimal guidance and little follow-up after reporting a sexual assault on campus roughly a year ago. She said the details of the lawsuit felt similar to her own experience.
“My main message for Cornell here is that we can’t be treating these cases only with care and attention after it catches national news,” Wang said.
The case began with a lawsuit filed in September by a student identified in court filings as Jane Doe. The civil suit names seven fraternity members, the university and the Chi Phi fraternity, alleging that one defendant sent a social media message to more than 50 fraternity members inviting them to join the assault.
Lawyers for two of the men named in the suit have denied the allegations, with one stating his client never touched the woman.
In response to public pressure and calls from state officials, Cornell agreed Wednesday to hire external legal counsel to review its handling of the allegations. The university previously confirmed that it suspended the Chi Phi fraternity indefinitely and disciplined or expelled several students, though it declined to detail specific actions, citing student privacy laws.
The civil filing prompted District Attorney Van Houten to announce earlier in the week that his office would reopen its investigation.
Van Houten defended his original decision against bringing criminal charges, stating that the victim’s initial account to campus police did not indicate she had been forcibly assaulted, drugged or incapacitated beyond giving consent.
