New York state prosecutors say they will reopen a criminal inquiry into the alleged rape of a woman at Cornell University in 2024. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The woman filed a civil lawsuit on 16 September alleging she was drugged and raped by multiple people at a fraternity house at the university. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Monday that the case will be prosecuted through a grand jury.
Cornell University said that while it supported the case being brought before a grand jury, any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false.
The woman, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges in her lawsuit that on the night of 19 October 2024, seven men from Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity chapter allegedly assaulted her in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine. Jane Doe said she was intoxicated during the alleged incident and was incapable of providing consent. She said she reported the incident to Cornell University Police on 8 November 2024.
Van Houten said on Monday that at the time of the assault two years ago, his office concluded that evidence from her statement to authorities did not meet the legal threshold to bring charges. He said he reached out to Jane Doe and her lawyers for more information as he prepared to bring the case to a grand jury.
In his statement, Van Houten noted that Jane Doe's sworn statement in November 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped. On the contrary, her statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual. Van Houten added that Jane Doe's lawyers had never been in touch with him to say her original statement was inaccurate or to ask him to reconsider his decision not to bring charges.
The BBC has contacted Jane Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra. In a statement obtained by CBS, he said that in the days following the assault, Jane Doe was traumatised, numb and unable to function or accept the horror of what had happened. Giuffra said Jane Doe never spoke to anyone other than the officer who took her initial complaint, adding that he would have expected her to be interviewed several times and evidence collected by law enforcement.
Jane Doe also alleged in her civil lawsuit that Cornell did not protect her nor adequately punish the men involved, alleging they were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays. The university disputed this on Monday, saying the matter was referred to a panel of trained faculty and staff that issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell.
In November 2024, Cornell University issued a public statement regarding the serious and deeply disturbing allegations of drug abuse and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house, saying its campus police department was investigating and that it had suspended the local chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity, as well as a number of students. Cornell also said it had opened an internal investigation as well as a civil rights inquiry under the Title IX law.
Jeremy Saland, an attorney for one of the men named in the lawsuit, denied the allegations. Saland acknowledged his client responded to and made an immature comment on Snapchat, but did nothing else. Saland denied his client was involved in any sexual activity, touched the plaintiff in any way, or ingested ketamine.
The case has received national attention following Doe's lawsuit and the announcement the case would be reopened. Several celebrities, including actress Florence Pugh, have spoken out about it.