Cornell 7: Prosecutor Reopens Fraternity Rape Case and Will Take It to a Grand Jury
No one has been charged. A civil lawsuit names seven fraternity members, the fraternity, Cornell and an Ithaca bar.
No one has been charged. A civil lawsuit names seven fraternity members, the fraternity, Cornell and an Ithaca bar.
The Tompkins County District Attorney's Office has reopened its investigation into allegations that a Cornell University student was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members in 2024, and says it will present the case to a grand jury, according to AP and PBS NewsHour.
No one has been criminally charged.
## What the lawsuit alleges
A former student, identified in court papers by a pseudonym, filed a civil lawsuit on Sept. 16. She alleges she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024 after being pressured to use ketamine, marijuana and alcohol, and that she was incapacitated during the alleged assault.
The suit names seven fraternity members, the fraternity itself, Cornell University and an Ithaca bar.
## Why the case was reopened
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said that "seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence." The reopening followed the lawsuit and growing public pressure.
Van Houten also noted that the accuser did not describe a gang rape or drugging in her initial statement to police. Her attorney has said she explicitly told investigators in 2024 that she had been raped, and newly reported records from Cornell's Title IX investigation have added further detail, CBS News reported. The accounts of what she told police remain in dispute.
## Cornell's response
Cornell says it conducted its own investigation in 2024, imposed sanctions including expulsions and suspensions, and closed its Chi Phi chapter. The university has declined to release details of the sanctions and has agreed to an independent review of how it handled the allegations.
Asked about the case on Thursday, President Trump said he did not know much about it but called Cornell "a fine school" and said he believed the university would "do what's right," CBS News reported.
## What happens next
A grand jury will decide whether there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges. Grand jury proceedings in New York are secret, so it may be some time before the outcome is known. The civil lawsuit is proceeding separately.
NextGen America is not naming the accused students, who have not been charged with a crime, or the accuser, who is identified in court only by a pseudonym.