Overview
- The district attorney announced he has reopened the criminal probe after a 101-page civil suit filed in mid-September renewed attention to the October 2024 allegation that a student was drugged and sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi house.
- Van Houten has defended his 2024 decision not to charge, saying the sworn police statement then described the complainant’s early activity as voluntary but he now says new material needs fuller review before seeking indictments.
- CBS reported it obtained a fuller Cornell police interview in which the complainant reportedly said, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” and the DA says his office did not receive that complete transcript previously.
- Cornell says its separate Title IX process led to expulsions and suspensions and that the Chi Phi chapter was closed while Governor Kathy Hochul has called for an independent outside review of the university’s response.
- Prosecutors plan to meet the complainant to prepare for grand-jury presentation and have asked for university records, a step that could produce criminal charges but will depend on whether evidence meets New York’s legal standards for lack of consent.