Overview
- Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced he has reopened the investigation and plans to present evidence to a grand jury after renewed public scrutiny and new materials surfaced this week.
- A transcript obtained by CBS News, reported by multiple outlets, includes the accuser telling campus police she was “100% confident I was raped,” a passage that appears to conflict with the DA’s earlier summary of her 2024 statement.
- Van Houten has defended his 2024 decision not to file charges, saying prosecutors then relied on a statement and campus police materials that described some earlier sexual activity as consensual, and he now says his office will meet with the plaintiff and seek Title IX records.
- Cornell says it supports the reopened criminal review and that its separate Title IX process produced expulsions and suspensions, while the plaintiff’s lawyer and some local officials say the university’s handling and the earlier prosecution review merit independent scrutiny.
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul called for an outside review of Cornell’s response and local leaders have urged changes to Greek‑life oversight as the grand‑jury step could lead to criminal charges and broader scrutiny of how campus investigations are shared with prosecutors.