Overview
- Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Oct. 1–2 displacing the Tompkins County district attorney and giving Attorney General Letitia James authority to investigate, present evidence to a grand jury, and prosecute any resulting offenses.
- Letitia James announced an active criminal investigation led by her office and said her team will review evidence, interview witnesses, and pursue charges if warranted.
- Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said he will cooperate and had reopened the case after a civil suit, but he defended his 2024 decision by saying the victim’s sworn statement then described the encounters as voluntary.
- A 101‑page civil complaint filed in September alleges the plaintiff was drugged with ketamine and raped by seven Chi Phi members in October 2024, and newly published transcripts show she told campus police she was “100 percent” sure she had been raped, which critics say was omitted from records sent to prosecutors.
- Cornell supports the special‑prosecutor appointment, says it previously disciplined students through Title IX and has agreed to an independent external review while state leaders press for fixes to how New York treats voluntary intoxication in sexual‑assault cases.