Kathy Hochul and Letitia James attend a press conference about the alleged sexual assault at Cornell University, in New York City, on Friday. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersView image in fullscreenKathy Hochul and Letitia James attend a press conference about the alleged sexual assault at Cornell University, in New York City, on Friday. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersWoman in alleged Cornell gang-rape case was ‘failed’ by system, New York governor saysKathy Hochul briefs journalists with state attorney general Letitia James, who will be taking over the entire case
Letitia James appointed special prosecutor in alleged gang-rape at Cornell
Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, said on Friday that she would “ensure” that all the facts of the alleged gang-rape in a fraternity house at Cornell University “are brought into light” while harshly criticizing the institution for how they handled the 2024 case.
Hochul, a Democrat, said the woman in the case, was “failed” by people obligated to protect her, including the police and the county prosecutor.
“I’m deeply disturbed at Cornell University’s police and how they handled this,” Hochul said of the Ivy League university in Ithaca in upstate New York.
Read moreIn a rare legal development, Hochul late on Thursday announced that the state attorney general, Letitia James, was taking over the entire case as a special prosecutor.
“I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug,” Hochul said in a press conference on Friday morning alongside James.
“Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, they will be investigated fully and fairly. That they will be seen and heard. I stand ready to lead a process guided by the facts and the law,” James said. James will oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury in a process that could lead to the pressing of criminal charges.
Hochul sharply criticized the investigation that began in 2024 after the woman in the case went to the police.
“In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang-raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house, and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney,” Hochul said, of the alleged assaults.
The governor also criticized what she called “a gap in state law” relating to claiming a sexual crime was committed when the alleged victim was voluntarily intoxicated.
She said: “If someone is too intoxicated to consent, it should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang-rape. Period.”
Hochul said on Thursday she was appointing James after she “lost faith” in the district attorney’s ability to oversee the case after he decided not to prosecute the case in 2024, among other reasons.
A former Cornell University student, who identifies by the pseudonym Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit in September alleging she was gang-raped at a fraternity in 2024, when she was 20. She said she was drugged and repeatedly raped over the course of seven hours. The case has sparked national outrage, roiled the campus and raised questions about why no criminal case was brought.
Thomas Giuffra, a lawyer for Jane Doe, said his client was “not doing well” amid the uproar.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
