Prosecutors reopen Cornell rape inquiry

New York state prosecutors said Monday they will reopen a criminal inquiry into an alleged rape at Cornell University in 2024, bringing the case before a grand jury.

Woman files civil lawsuit alleging gang rape

A woman referred to as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit on September sixteenth alleging she was drugged and raped by multiple people at a Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell.

Alleged assault occurred October 2024

Jane Doe alleges that on October nineteenth, two thousand twenty-four, seven men from Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity chapter assaulted her in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine.

Woman reported incident to campus police

Jane Doe said she was intoxicated during the alleged incident and incapable of providing consent. She reported the incident to Cornell University Police on November eighth, two thousand twenty-four.

Snapchat messages show prior knowledge

The lawsuit contains an image purported to be from a Snapchat fraternity group chat in which a participant alerted other members, in vulgar terms, to the potential for a sexual encounter with Jane Doe.

Prosecutors initially declined to charge

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said that two years ago his office concluded evidence from Jane Doe's statement to authorities did not meet the legal threshold to bring charges.

Original statement differed from lawsuit

Van Houten said Jane Doe's sworn statement in November two thousand twenty-four did not allege she was drugged against her will or gang raped, but described her participation as voluntary, conscious and consensual.

“Jane Doe's sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped.”

Plaintiff's lawyer cites trauma response

Jane Doe's attorney Thomas Giuffra said in the days following the assault she was traumatised, numb and unable to function or accept the horror of what happened, and was in self-preservation mode.

“In the days following the assault, [Jane Doe] was traumatised, numb and unable to function or accept the horror of what had happened.”

Giuffra criticises investigation failures

Giuffra said Jane Doe never spoke to anyone other than the officer who took her initial complaint, and he expected she would have been interviewed multiple times with evidence collected by law enforcement.

“I would have expected at the very least that she would have been interviewed several times and evidence collected by law enforcement and a case developed.”

Text messages show defendant's remorse

CBS News published text messages reportedly exchanged two days after the alleged assault in which one of the men appears to apologise for how things went down, saying his memory was kinda fuzzy.

Cornell disputes inadequate punishment claims

Cornell University said the matter was referred to a panel of trained faculty and staff that issued a range of sanctions including expulsions and suspensions, and denied anyone was offered essays as sole consequence.

Campus survey reveals high assault rates

A two thousand twenty-five Cornell school survey found that thirty-five percent of undergraduate women and eight percent of undergraduate men reported experiencing sexual assault during their time at the university.

Ithaca mayor calls for permit moratorium

The mayor of Ithaca, New York, where Cornell is located, called for a moratorium on all student event and special event permits until the university conducts an accounting of its protocols to prevent and prosecute sexual violence.

Civil hearing scheduled for October

An initial court hearing to consider the civil case is scheduled for October twenty-third in Manhattan, as the grand jury process begins to weigh evidence and testimony.