District Attorney Reopens Case of Alleged Cornell University 'Gang Rape'

Prosecutors in Central New York say they are reopening the investigation of alleged "gang rape" at a Cornell University fraternity in 2024 after a civil lawsuit filed earlier this month sparked outrage about the incident. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a statement that his office is considering whether to bring criminal charges related to the incident, though he said the allegations in the civil complaint are "dramatically different" than the woman’s statement to police two years ago.

"It's our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe's cooperation," Van Houten told ABC News. "We want to reexamine whether there's additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct."

The reopening of the case comes less than two weeks after a former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit alleging that she was drugged, assaulted and gang raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell.

Cornell's Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus after the alleged incident, though none of the individuals allegedly involved faced criminal charges, according to the DA. Van Houten said his office did not bring charges in 2024 because the woman's statement to authorities did not allege she was drugged or that she did not consent to engage in sexual activities.

Thomas P. Giuffra, attorney for Jane Doe, disputed Van Houten's description of the woman's initial statement to the Cornell University Police Department and faulted authorities for never following up with his client.

ABC News has reached out to the named defendants in the lawsuit, including the seven fraternity members, Cornell and others.

Cornell said in a September 21st statement that it takes allegations of sexual violence "extremely seriously" and that its Office of Civil Rights and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards "investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies."

The university said federal privacy law prevents it from publicly disclosing specific information about individual students or disciplinary responses. Cornell said violations of university policies could result in sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion.

Cornell also said the Xi chapter of Chi Phi "remains barred from our campus."