New York Governor Appoints Special Prosecutor in Cornell Fraternity Sexual Assault Case

New York's governor has appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation into a woman's allegations of gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house, saying she had lost faith in the local district attorney's ability to handle the case.

Governor Kathy Hochul said she had signed an executive order appointing the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor.

"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 an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's campus in October 2024," Ms Hochul said.

"This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public's faith, in the District Attorney's ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time."

Ms Hochul said the attorney general would oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury.

"This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigour that this matter demands."

Students demand accountability

Ms Hochul's announcement came shortly after dozens of students and community members spent hours demanding transparency and accountability from university leaders at a forum sponsored by Cornell's student government.

New information about the alleged 2024 assault, the university's response and the lack of criminal charges at the time have been disclosed over the last week since a lawsuit was filed last month.

The case has roiled the Ivy League campus and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, reported the alleged assault to campus police, discussed it with the university's internal investigators and is pursuing a lawsuit filed in September.

The lawsuit names seven fraternity brothers, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and others, and alleges that one of the men sent a social media message to more than 50 other fraternity members inviting people to take part.

Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client had not touched the woman. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men or their representatives have been unsuccessful.

Matthew Van Houten, the Tompkins County district attorney, had announced he would reopen the investigation earlier this week after reviewing new information in the woman's civil lawsuit.

He had issued a statement defending his initial decision not to issue charges and maintaining the woman's first account to police did not include allegations that she was drugged against her will, incapacitated beyond the ability to consent, or forced into sex.

Under pressure from the public and politicians, including Ms Hochul, the private university agreed on Wednesday, local time, to bring in outside lawyers to independently investigate how it handled the woman's allegations.