US prosecutors reopen Cornell University gang rape investigation
Prosecutors in Tompkins County, New York, have reopened a criminal investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University after new details emerged in a civil lawsuit. The case has renewed debate over how universities handle sexual assault.
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten of Tompkins County, New York, has said he intends to file criminal charges against seven members of Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity, accused of drugging a woman with ketamine and raping her in 2024.
The alleged victim filed a civil lawsuit this month containing new details about the incident. Van Houten explained that his office had declined to prosecute in 2024 because the victim's earlier testimony did not establish a lack of consent, but the new allegations prompted a reversal. He noted that survivors of sexual assault can take years of therapy to fully process what happened to them.
Cornell closed the Chi Phi fraternity after the incident and temporarily suspended the students involved, several of whom were later expelled. Kyle Kimball, the university's vice president of university relations, said Cornell supports reopening the investigation, while denying a claim in the lawsuit that suspects were given the option to write essays to reduce their punishment. He said any suggestion the university failed to impose serious consequences was false.
Details and reaction
The 101-page lawsuit includes a screenshot of a Snapchat group message that appeared to invite other fraternity members to join the assault. The suit seeks financial damages from Cornell and the seven men, stating the woman suffered severe emotional and psychological distress.
The case has drawn public reaction, including from actress Florence Pugh, who said on Instagram she felt sick and anxious after learning of it and criticized universities for failing to hold men accountable. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned what she called a culture of rape at elite institutions, saying the victim lost her education while the accused men were protected and still received their degrees.
