NY's governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell frat rape investigation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state's attorney general as a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged gang rape of a woman at Cornell University. The woman claims she was drugged and raped by multiple men at a fraternity house in 2024. The case resurfaced after she filed a civil lawsuit last month, drawing national attention.

Governor Hochul expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the investigation by the Tompkins County District Attorney, Matthew Van Houten, stating that she has lost faith in his ability to oversee the case fairly. Van Houten has defended his office's decision not to file charges, citing insufficient evidence to meet the legal threshold.

The governor's decision removes Van Houten from overseeing the case, and the attorney general will now lead the investigation, which may result in prosecuting any offenses found and presenting evidence to a grand jury. The woman, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit in September against Cornell University, alleging that she was drugged and raped by seven men at the fraternity house in 2024.

She claims that Cornell failed to protect her or punish the men, now known as the Cornell Seven. Cornell has stated that they provided evidence to the district attorney's office, including a Snapchat group chat discussing a consensual sexual encounter with the woman on the night of the alleged assault. The woman's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, has criticized the district attorney for repeatedly changing his stance amid media coverage of the case.