Jane Doe's lawyer accuses Cornell of a "cover-up" in rape case

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has expressed outrage over the handling of a 2024 gang rape allegation at Cornell University. According to reports, a woman known as Jane Doe told campus police that she had been raped by several members of the university's Chi Phi fraternity while intoxicated. However, her statement was not included in the official police report sent to prosecutors, who ultimately dropped the case.

Hochul has criticized the police handling of the case, saying she is "deeply disturbed" by their actions. She has also called for changes to state law, citing a loophole that makes it difficult to prove sexual assault if a victim has consumed alcohol or drugs voluntarily. The Governor has appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the case, which is now an active criminal investigation.

The case has sparked national outrage and a renewed reckoning over how sexual assault is handled in higher education. Cornell University has agreed to an independent review, and prosecutors have reopened the case. Jane Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, has accused the university of a "cover-up", claiming that school officials prioritized protecting Cornell's reputation over seeking accountability.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Vox, ABC News AU, POLITICO, DW News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.