New York Prosecutors Reopen Criminal Inquiry into 2024 Cornell Fraternity Assault
State prosecutors will present the alleged 2024 assault at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity to a grand jury after a civil lawsuit revived the case, while the university maintains it imposed disciplinary sanctions.
New York state prosecutors announced on Monday that they will reopen a criminal investigation into the alleged assault of a woman at Cornell University in October 2024. The decision follows a civil lawsuit filed on 16 September in which the plaintiff, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, claims she was drugged with ketamine and raped by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the case will be presented to a grand jury and prosecuted "in the most objective and impartial means possible." He noted that the district attorney's office had previously concluded the evidence did not meet the threshold for charges, but new information from the plaintiff’s lawyers prompted a review. Van Houten described Snapchat messages from the fraternity as "crude and vulgar" but said they did not determine consent.
Cornell University said it supports the grand-jury process and refuted claims that it failed to impose meaningful punishments. The university confirmed that the Chi Phi chapter was suspended, several students were disciplined, and an internal Title IX investigation was launched, resulting in expulsions and suspensions.
Jane Doe’s lawsuit alleges she was intoxicated and unable to consent, and it includes a screenshot of a fraternity group chat discussing a potential sexual encounter. Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, said the victim was traumatized after the incident and that law-enforcement interviews were limited. He criticized the district attorney’s handling of the case, suggesting procedural failures.
The reopening has attracted national attention, with public figures commenting on the allegations. Cornell’s student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, called for greater transparency in the university’s Title IX process and an independent review of how the case was handled.
The district attorney’s office has reached out to the plaintiff and her counsel for additional information as it prepares the grand-jury presentation.