📅 Date: September 28, 2026
🕐 Published: 4:29 AM ET
📍 Location: Ithaca, New York
📰 Source: CNN
🏷️ Topic: Cornell University sexual assault lawsuit and renewed criminal investigation
New York prosecutors are reopening an investigation into allegations that a former Cornell University student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024, following the filing of a civil lawsuit against the university and seven fraternity members.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office intends to present the case to a grand jury with the cooperation of the woman, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit. The original investigation ended without criminal charges.
The civil complaint, filed earlier this month, alleges that Jane Doe was 20 years old when she visited Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. According to the lawsuit, she was intoxicated and was allegedly pressured into taking a substance described to her as ketamine before the alleged sexual assault occurred.
The lawsuit further alleges that a message was posted in a fraternity Snapchat group inviting other members upstairs. Doe alleges that several men subsequently entered the room and that the assault continued for hours. These allegations have not been established as facts in court.
Van Houten said the allegations contained in the lawsuit were substantially different from what Doe told police during the original investigation. He said prosecutors did not bring charges at the time because her initial statement did not allege that she had been unknowingly drugged or that she had been physically incapacitated or forced into sexual activity. He also said his office had not received a group-chat image that was later included in the civil complaint.
Doe’s attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, disputed the prosecutor’s characterization of his client’s original report. He argued that she was not given an opportunity to speak with investigators specially trained in sexual-assault cases and said important investigative opportunities were missed.
Cornell said it supports the district attorney’s decision to allow the case to be reviewed by a criminal grand jury. The university said it conducted its own Title IX investigation separately from the criminal process and that a panel of trained faculty and staff reviewed evidence and imposed a range of sanctions, including suspensions and expulsions. Cornell also said the Chi Phi chapter remains barred from campus.
Attorneys for at least one of the accused students have denied the allegations. One attorney said his client never sexually assaulted or touched the plaintiff and that the defense intends to challenge the claims in court. Another student named in the lawsuit has also denied participating in sexual activity or drug use.
The civil lawsuit seeks monetary damages and includes claims involving negligence, breach of contract, sexual assault and battery, and alleged violations of New York law. The renewed criminal investigation does not mean charges have been filed; prosecutors will first reassess the evidence before any potential grand-jury action.
CNN Original Article
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