New York intervenes in the alleged gang rape case at Cornell after detecting serious flaws in the investigation

NEW YORK.– New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the office of state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the investigation into a woman's report that she was gang-raped at a Cornell University fraternity. The governor justified the decision by saying she had lost confidence in the local district attorney's ability to handle the case, and announced that, from now on, the investigation will fall under James's purview. The announcement came on Thursday, one day before both officials were to provide an update on the investigation. Hochul said she took the measure after learning "concerning details" about how authorities initially handled the accusations. Among them, she questioned that the district attorney had closed the case without interviewing the complainant or, she claimed, other people involved in the alleged attack. "What world is the district attorney in that he doesn't even interview the young woman, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?" Hochul said. "This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is absolutely indescribable. And then, at every step, she was failed by people and institutions that had an obligation to protect her." "I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug," she added. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announces in Manhattan a review of Cornell University's initial response to a gang rape reportSPENCER PLATT - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA The governor also took aim at the Cornell University Police Department, accusing it of failing to fully relay the woman's account to prosecutors. "After this young woman came forward, she spoke with the police. She spent hours with them and told them exactly what had happened to her. And according to new reports, she could not have been clearer in saying that she was 100% certain she had been raped," Hochul said. "Yet, astonishingly, those words never appeared in the report that Cornell police sent to prosecutors." The case had initially been closed in 2024 without charges being filed. However, last month the woman filed a civil lawsuit, and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten decided to reopen the criminal investigation. Since then, his handling of the case has come under increasing scrutiny over criticism of how quickly he had ended the original investigation. People gather before a hearing on sexual assault on the campus of Cornell University, in IthacaMatt Rourke - AP With the intervention ordered by Hochul, the attorney general will now oversee the investigation and, if she deems there to be sufficient evidence, may present the case to a grand jury. "The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and that justice will be pursued," the governor said in a statement. The episode caused an uproar on the Cornell campus, one of the Ivy League universities, and once again put the spotlight on how academic institutions respond to reports of sexual assault. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, reported to campus police in November 2024 that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. She later also recounted what happened to the university's internal investigators, as part of Cornell's disciplinary process. Cornell student Jane Wang speaks to the press after a hearing on sexual violence at the university, in IthacaMatt Rourke - AP In a lawsuit filed against seven members of a fraternity, the university itself, the Chi Phi fraternity, and other individuals, the woman claims she was given drugs and alcohol and was subsequently subjected to sexual acts by several men while she was partially or completely incapacitated. According to the court filing, one of the fraternity members sent a message on social media to other members warning them about what was happening and inviting them to take part. Lawyers for two of the men named in the lawsuit rejected the accusations against their clients. One asserted that his client did not participate in any sexual assault, and the other maintained that his client had not even touched the woman. AP and Reuters agenciesSexual abuseUnited States