NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKES OVER CORNELL GANG-RAPE CASE

New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, said on Friday she would ensure all the facts of an alleged gang-rape at a Cornell University fraternity house are brought to light. She spoke alongside attorney general Letitia James, newly appointed special prosecutor who will take over the case. Hochul said the woman involved, who reported the alleged assault to police in 2024, was failed by those obligated to protect her, including police and the county prosecutor. She said she was deeply disturbed by Cornell University's handling of the case. James said every New Yorker deserves to know a reported crime will be investigated fully and fairly.

The case stems from a 2024 allegation that an intoxicated woman was gang-raped by five men at a fraternity house at the Ivy League university in Ithaca, upstate New York. Hochul questioned why police who learned of the allegation did not refer it to the district attorney. She also pointed to a gap in state law concerning sexual assault claims where the alleged victim was voluntarily intoxicated, saying it should not matter whether someone too intoxicated to consent had chosen to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication, she said, is not a licence for sexual assault or gang-rape.

James will oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury, a process that could lead to criminal charges. Hochul said she would not allow the case to be swept under the rug and pledged to lead a process guided by the facts and the law. The intervention marks a rare instance of a governor and attorney general taking direct control of a university-linked case from local authorities. No charges have yet been announced.