Prosecutors Reopen Cornell Sexual Assault Investigation
Prosecutors in New York have reopened an investigation into allegations that a former Cornell University student was sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024. The move follows a civil lawsuit filed by the woman earlier this month against Cornell and seven former or current fraternity members.
The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, was 20 at the time of the alleged incident. She alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted for several hours at the fraternity house on October 19–20, 2024. The allegations have not resulted in criminal charges against the seven men named in the lawsuit.
According to the civil complaint, the woman had been drinking and taking substances before arriving at the fraternity house. She alleges that fraternity members gave her a substance they described as ketamine before the alleged assaults occurred.
The lawsuit further alleges that a message was posted in a fraternity Snapchat group inviting other members upstairs while the alleged assault was taking place. The woman says additional fraternity members subsequently entered the room. These allegations remain claims in a civil lawsuit and have not been established in a criminal proceeding.
The woman reported the incident to Cornell University Police several weeks later. Her attorney says she was not subsequently interviewed by investigators from the district attorney’s office or investigators specifically trained in sexual-assault cases.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges in 2024 because the woman’s original statement to police did not allege that she had been drugged without her knowledge or that she had been forced into sexual activity. He said the allegations in the new lawsuit are substantially different from that earlier statement.
Van Houten now says prosecutors intend to present the matter to a grand jury. His office is examining whether additional evidence contained in or arising from the civil lawsuit could change its earlier assessment of whether criminal conduct occurred.
The woman’s attorney disputes the prosecutor’s characterization of her original report. He argues that the police investigation was not sufficiently developed and that she was not given further opportunities to provide information to investigators.
Cornell says it conducted a separate Title IX investigation after the allegations were reported. The university says a hearing panel reviewed evidence over multiple days and imposed sanctions that included expulsions and suspensions. Cornell has denied claims that the accused students were simply allowed to submit essays as their sole punishment.
The university’s Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus following the incident. Cornell has also said that federal student-privacy laws prevent it from publicly disclosing individual disciplinary records in detail.
The civil lawsuit accuses Cornell and the seven men of various legal violations, including negligence and breach of contract, and seeks monetary damages. The defendants’ alleged conduct remains contested, and at least one attorney representing an accused fraternity member has denied that his client sexually assaulted or touched the woman.
The reopened criminal investigation means prosecutors will now reassess the allegations and evidence through the grand-jury process. It does not mean that criminal charges have been filed or that the allegations have been proven.
Key Legal Outcome
- New York prosecutors have reopened the criminal investigation into the 2024 allegations.
- Prosecutors plan to present the matter to a grand jury.
- No criminal charges were filed against the seven men following the original investigation.
- The former student has filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell and the accused men.
- Cornell says its separate Title IX process resulted in sanctions including expulsions and suspensions.
Why It Matters
- The case puts renewed attention on how sexual-assault allegations are investigated at universities.
- Prosecutors are reconsidering the case after new allegations and evidence emerged through the civil lawsuit.
- The dispute includes sharply different accounts of what the woman told investigators in 2024.
- Cornell’s disciplinary process is separate from the criminal investigation.
- The grand-jury review could determine whether prosecutors pursue criminal charges.
