Cornell Gang Rape Probe Reopened

A New York prosecutor has reopened a criminal investigation into allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted by seven students at a Cornell University fraternity in 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Monday that his office will present evidence to a grand jury. The move follows public questions about why no one was prosecuted.

The woman, identified in court papers only by a pseudonym, sued on Sept. 16. She alleges she was assaulted at the Chi Phi house on the Ithaca campus in October 2024 after being pressured into snorting ketamine, smoking marijuana, and drinking alcohol. The complaint says she became completely incapacitated while fraternity members sexually assaulted her.

She is suing the seven men, the Chi Phi fraternity, the university, an Ithaca bar, and others, and is seeking undisclosed damages. Her attorney did not immediately respond to messages about the prosecutor’s decision. The lawsuit, the reopened case, and Cornell’s handling of the allegations have drawn heavy social-media attention. Some posts criticized the school and the district attorney’s office. Others questioned the claims. Some users posted photos of the seven fraternity members.

Van Houten said the accuser’s initial sworn statement to authorities did not include claims of a gang rape or of being drugged. He also said her attorney had not contacted his office about that statement or about reversing the decision not to prosecute, and that he recently reached out to the attorney himself.

“Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence,” Van Houten said. “I have been asked by the community to revisit the decision whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members. I have already begun that process, starting with our conversation with Jane Doe and her attorneys.”

Cornell said it supports reopening the criminal investigation. The university said its own process led to sanctions that included expelling some students and suspending others. It said the on-campus Chi Phi chapter was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus. Officials declined to say how many students were expelled or suspended, citing federal privacy law.

“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” the university said. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.” The national Chi Phi organization did not return phone or email messages.

The school said a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over several days in 2024, and that both the woman and the accused students could testify and present evidence. The complaint accuses Cornell of failing to prevent the alleged assaults and of mishandling sexual violence on campus. It includes a photo described as a group chat among fraternity members about the night.

The woman was a 20-year-old Cornell student and a sorority member at the time. The lawsuit says she went to campus police about three weeks later, and that the fraternity and seven members were placed on temporary suspension the same day. The complaint says the seven were given “the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell.” Cornell disputed that account, saying “none of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement,” and pointing to the expulsions and suspensions.

Over the weekend, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized what she called a “culture of rape” protected at elite schools. Speaking at a forum near campus, she said, “When I read what happened at Cornell, those men posted in a group chat. That means it was normal to them. That means it was acceptable to them. This is a culture.” She added, “And what we must do is understand that we cannot protect those spaces any more.”

Cornell said a campus sexual-assault task force formed in 2025 issued recommendations earlier this year, some of which have been put in place. A 2025 survey cited in the task force report found that 35 percent of undergraduate women and 8 percent of undergraduate men reported experiencing sexual assault while at Cornell. Van Houten said his office has since been flooded with calls, voicemails, and emails, including insults and threats. “The community outrage stemming from the incomplete news and social media coverage requires that I provide an answer to why the investigation resulted in a lack of criminal charges,” he said. Student government president Eeshaan Chaudhuri called for a fresh look at the university’s investigation, the district attorney’s earlier decision, and the fraternity’s culture, adding, “This issue poses more of a broader question, not just at Cornell. Obviously, these things can’t be fixed overnight.”