Hochul names AG Letitia James special prosecutor in Cornell fraternity rape case

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case of a former Cornell University student who says she was drugged and raped by multiple men at a fraternity house in 2024, according to ABC News and PBS NewsHour.

Hochul signed the executive order Thursday night and appeared with James at a news conference Friday morning, according to PBS and CBS New York. The move takes the criminal investigation away from the Tompkins County District Attorney's office.

## Why the governor stepped in

Hochul said she had lost faith in the local district attorney's ability to handle the case fairly, according to PBS.

"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," Hochul said in a statement, according to ABC News.

The new information includes a New York Times report that a statement in which the student said she was raped was left out of the summary that Cornell police sent to prosecutors. "Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors," Hochul said Friday, according to PBS.

## What Hochul and James said

"No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice," Hochul said, according to CBS New York. She said the investigation should answer, "Who knew what when? What did they do wrong? Why didn't they come forward? How was this woman denied justice?"

James said her office would "review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions," according to CBS New York. In an earlier statement, she said, "Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly," according to ABC News.

## The other side

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to PBS. He had initially declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence, according to CBS New York. Earlier this week, he announced he was reopening the case and planned to present evidence to a grand jury, according to ABC News and Spectrum News.

Cornell has said its internal process led to two expulsions and other suspensions, according to CBS New York. The university has agreed to an independent outside review of how it handled the case, according to CBS New York.

No criminal charges have been filed, according to Spectrum News. The men named in the student's civil lawsuit have not been charged with any crime.

## How the case got here

The student says the assault happened at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024, according to CBS New York and Spectrum News. The case drew national attention after she filed a civil lawsuit naming seven men. Within days, the district attorney reopened the case, and Hochul and James stepped in.

## What happens next

James's office will run an active criminal investigation and can present evidence to a grand jury if it finds that warranted, according to PBS and CBS New York.

Hochul also said she will work with state lawmakers to close what she called a "loophole" in New York law involving voluntary intoxication in sexual assault cases, according to CBS New York. Any change would require action by the state Legislature.