NY governor says Cornell rape accuser was 'failed' by people obligated to protect her

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that the woman who accused members of a Cornell University fraternity of gang rape was “failed” by people obligated to protect her, including police and the county prosecutor.

Hochul’s claim came during a news conference in which she gave details on her decision to turn the case over to a special prosecutor, the state Attorney General Letitia James.

The governor said she made the decision after learning “troubling details” about how authorities have handled the woman’s claims thus far, including that the district attorney closed the case without having anyone interview the victim or anyone else involved in the alleged attack. She also assailed the Cornell University Police Department for not fully conveying the woman’s story to prosecutors.

“In what world does the district attorney not even interview her, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?" Hochul said. "This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”

Hochul said Thursday that she appointed James' office to oversee the case because she had lost faith in the local district attorney’s ability to handle it.

The investigation initially was closed without charges in 2024.

Last month, the woman filed a lawsuit and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation . He has since been bombarded by criticism that he abandoned the original investigation too quickly.

The attorney general will oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury, Hochul said.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued," she said in a statement Thursday.

Van Houten didn't immediately respond to Thursday messages seeking comment.

The case has roiled the Ivy League campus and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, told campus police in November of 2024 that she was sexually assaulted, then discussed it with the university’s internal investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.

The lawsuit against seven fraternity brothers, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and others alleges that she was plied with drugs and alcohol, then subjected to sexual acts by a group of men while she was partially or entirely incapacitated. One of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening, and inviting people to take part, according to the lawsuit.

Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client hadn’t touched the woman. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men or their representatives have been unsuccessful.

New York governors have turned to attorney generals to oversee important cases in the past.

In 2018, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed then-Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas as a special prosecutor to investigate Eric Schneiderman , who resigned as New York attorney general after women accused him of violent slapping, choking and other abuse.

In 2021, James oversaw a non-criminal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading to his resignation. Cuomo initially tried to choose who would lead the investigation into the allegations. He then allowed James to choose two independent attorneys to lead it instead.

James’ office also handles other criminal work and has the power under state law to investigate every death involving law enforcement in the state. But, typically, she can’t initiate criminal investigations without a referral from a local district attorney, the governor or a state agency, or an appointment like the one Hochul made Thursday.

This story was updated to correct the spelling of Letitia James' name.