4 Cornell lawsuit defendants join effort to oust Letitia James from criminal investigation

Four individuals named in a lawsuit stemming from allegations of gang rape at Cornell University are joining a co-defendant's attempt to prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from overseeing a renewed criminal probe into the accusations, according to court documents released on Thursday. Their legal representatives disclosed that the men consented to being included in a petition submitted to the court, requesting the removal of Attorney General Letitia James from the case.

This request stems from James' previous social media comments where she criticized the alleged assault and showed support for the accuser before taking part in the investigation.

The development occurred just a day after James appointed Jacqueline Kelly, a former federal prosecutor renowned for handling sex crimes cases against music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, as an outside counsel for the investigation. She, along with a team of lawyers and investigators, will be tasked with conducting evidence collection, conducting witness interviews, and performing other investigative duties, all under the supervision of James.

A judge held a hearing on one of the accused men's request to exclude James from the case earlier in the week, but ruled against doing so until determining if the six additional defendants in the lawsuit would also like to remove her.