Prosecutors in New York have officially reopened a criminal investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. The decision follows a surge of public outrage and a 101-page civil lawsuit filed this month, which alleges that the Ivy League institution failed to adequately punish the students involved in the incident.
The complainant, whose identity remains protected, alleges that she was drugged with ketamine and subjected to a gang rape in 2024 by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The civil lawsuit includes digital evidence intended to support these claims, such as a screenshot of a Snapchat group message sent during the alleged assault that invited other fraternity members to join in.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced that his office now intends to file criminal charges against the seven men. He noted that while his office had initially declined to prosecute the case in 2024, citing that the victim's testimony at the time did not establish a lack of consent, the new evidence presented in the civil filing necessitated a reversal. "I recognise the reality that it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them," Van Houten said in a statement. "Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence."
In response to the incident, Cornell University previously closed the Chi Phi fraternity chapter and temporarily suspended the students involved; several of those individuals were later expelled. Kyle Kimball, vice president of university relations, stated that the institution supports the renewed inquiry. He also rejected allegations that the university permitted students to complete essay assignments to mitigate their disciplinary penalties. "Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false," Kimball asserted.
The ongoing lawsuit seeks financial damages from both the university and the seven suspects, with the filing noting that the survivor has suffered severe psychological trauma. The case has sparked a significant national debate regarding institutional accountability and the handling of sexual assault allegations on college campuses.
