NY's Governor Appoints Special Prosecutor in Cornell Frat Rape Investigation
BBC News
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Cornell students voice frustration at public hearing over rape case
By Sareen Habeshian
Published 2 October 2026, 03:08 BST
Updated 3 hours ago
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state's attorney general as a special prosecutor in investigating the alleged gang rape of a woman at Cornell University.
The woman alleges she was drugged and raped by several men at a fraternity house in 2024. The case was reopened after she filed a civil lawsuit last month, bringing national attention to her allegations.
"New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I've lost faith in the Tompkins County DA's ability to fairly oversee it," said Hochul.
Hochul's announcement removes Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten from overseeing the case. The BBC has reached out to Van Houten's office for comment.
He previously defended his office's decision not to file charges, stating they were not provided with sufficient evidence. He reopened the case after the civil lawsuit and noted that much of the information released recently about the case was not shared with his office at the time.
"The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued," said Hochul.
Letitia James, New York's chief legal officer, stated on X (previously Twitter) that she is ready "to lead a process guided by the facts and the law." She added: "The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly."
Hochul and James are scheduled to provide an update on the investigation on Friday morning local time.
The woman at the center of the case, identified anonymously as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell University in September. She alleges she was drugged and raped by seven men at a fraternity house in 2024. She claims Cornell failed to protect her or adequately punish the men, now known as the Cornell Seven.
The case was initially referred to Van Houten's office in 2024. He stated he didn't file charges because he only saw Doe's statement implying the incident was consensual and that she had not been drugged.
This week, his office announced it would be reopening the case—less than two weeks after Doe filed her civil lawsuit.
Cornell has stated it provided evidence to Van Houten's office from its own investigation, including a Snapchat group chat in which fraternity members discussed a "free" sexual encounter with Doe on the night of the alleged assault.
Doe’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, has accused the district attorney of repeatedly changing his story amid news coverage of the case.