What to know about the investigation into Cornell University gang rape allegations

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state's Attorney General, Letitia James, as a special prosecutor to take over a rape case involving Cornell University. The case involves a former Cornell student who alleges she was gang-raped by several members of the university's Chi Phi fraternity in 2024. According to reports from ABC News AU and Vox, the student told campus police that she had been "literally gang-raped" while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house.

The handling of the case has been widely criticized, with Governor Hochul expressing outrage over how the police handled the allegation. According to ABC News AU, the woman's statement that she had been raped was left out of an official police report that was sent to prosecutors, who ultimately dropped the case. Hochul has also called for changes to the state's rape laws, specifically a loophole around voluntary intoxication, which she believes can be used to avoid accountability for sexual assault.

The lawyer for the alleged victim, Thomas Giuffra, has accused Cornell University of a cover-up, claiming that school officials were more focused on protecting the university's reputation than seeking accountability, according to CBS News. The case is now an active criminal investigation, with prosecutors reopening the case and potentially pursuing further legal action.

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