New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said future investigations of sexual assault at Cornell University will now be referred to the New York State Police, following criticism of how campus and local authorities have handled a high-profile gang rape allegation.
“When someone reports sexual assault, they deserve to be heard, treated with compassion, and know their allegations will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated,” Hochul, a Democrat, said on Oct. 29.
Hochul’s announcement came after concerns were raised when no criminal charges were filed after a woman identified as Jane Doe said she had been raped in October 2024 by members of a fraternity at the Ivy League school in upstate New York.
The school has expelled or disciplined several students allegedly involved in the incident. No criminal charges have been filed.
The governor called the allegations “horrifying.”
“Survivors should be able to trust the institutions responsible for protecting them. We cannot afford to let them down,” she said.
Hochul said the state police and the university have now entered into an agreement providing that sexual offense complaints, which are usually dealt with by campus police, will now be sent to state police for criminal investigation unless the accuser says otherwise.
Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit in state court on Sept. 16 against Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity, and others detailing allegations of sexual assault, as well as investigatory negligence by authorities.
The school said that as a result of its internal probe, some students were expelled, others were suspended, and Chi Phi was kicked off campus.
Jane Doe was “plied with alcohol and drugs to the point of intoxication” at a fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, in October 2024, according to the lawsuit.
She was “incapable of consenting” when she was coerced into taking drugs and forced to participate in sexual acts, the lawsuit alleges. She reported the incident to campus police in November 2024.
Attorneys for the fraternity members have denied the allegations. Some of the attorneys have said that whatever sexual activity took place was consensual, and others have denied that their clients participated in the events referenced in the lawsuit.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined in 2024 to pursue charges based on a six-page summary that Cornell Police sent him.
He reopened the rape investigation after the lawsuit was filed.
Van Houten said on Sept. 28 that when Doe initially went to campus police, she did not at that time allege that she was raped or drugged, describing her participation “in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”
“Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence,” Van Houten said at the time.
“I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members.”
Hochul later took Van Houten off the case. She said that newly released information about the investigation raised questions about how the case was handled, causing her to lose faith in Van Houten’s ability to oversee it.
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” she said.
The governor appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to relaunch the criminal investigation into Doe’s complaint. A committee of Cornell’s board of trustees appointed former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to carry out a review of the school’s response to sexual assault claims.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff welcomed the new agreement with the state, saying it will give sexual assault survivors who wish to pursue criminal charges the ability to choose whether to have the state police, Ithaca Police, the local county sheriff’s office, or the campus police investigate their cases.
“As we embark on the work of rebuilding our community’s sense of safety and trust, it is essential that all members of our community feel able to report sexual assault with confidence that their reports will be handled with professionalism and sensitivity,” he said in an Oct. 29 statement.
“I am grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and to the New York State Police for partnering with Cornell on this important agreement.”
Jackson Richman, Aldgra Fredly, and Reuters contributed to this report.
