Letitia James Takes Over Cornell Gang Rape Probe as Partisan Fight Builds

A civil lawsuit filed by a woman identified as Jane Doe against seven Chi Phi fraternity members, Cornell University and others has moved from a campus scandal into state politics and a national argument.

The newest development is who will oversee the criminal side. New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor. James now has authority to oversee the criminal investigation and pursue charges if warranted. No criminal charges have been filed against any of the seven men.

How the case got here

The lawsuit alleges Doe was drugged and raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024 during a ketamine- and alcohol-induced incident. Doe has accused the seven members of gang-raping her while she was incapacitated.

No charges were originally filed after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. He said a sworn statement Doe signed in November 2024 described her participation in the drug use and sexual conduct as "voluntary, conscious, and consensual." In a separate interview with Cornell police, Doe said, "I can say with 100% confidence I was raped."

Due to public pressure, Van Houten agreed to reopen the case. Axios reported that a criminal investigation was reopened after the lawsuit was filed and that the New York attorney general has launched a separate review of the university's handling of the allegations.

Cornell's own disciplinary process resulted in sanctions against five of the seven men, with penalties ranging from expulsions and suspensions to disciplinary probation and restrictions on returning to campus. Cornell's Title IX panel concluded that two of the men were responsible for sexual assault, while others received lesser sanctions.

The accused dispute the allegations

The seven men have denied wrongdoing. Some say the sex was consensual. Others say they did not take part.

Testimony from Cornell's internal investigation shows four of the seven acknowledged sexual contact with Doe and three denied it. Gillio Lopes and Winston Lee each told investigators that Doe initiated contact without asking for their consent. Another man said he considered himself a victim of sexual misconduct because Doe performed oral sex on him while he was "too incapacitated" to consent.

According to records obtained by The New York Times and reported by The Cornell Daily Sun, Lopes received a three-semester suspension and two years of probation. Those are the university's findings and the men's accounts. A court has ruled on none of it.

The Daily Wire also reported text messages in which Doe told one man that none of the "sexual stuff" they participated in was "illegal" and that she would like to meet up again.

Trump, James and the fairness question

Asked about James's appointment, President Trump attacked her. "Letitia James is a corrupt person," he said. "She's totally corrupt, and I can't imagine it — I feel badly for whoever she's looking at because they won't get a fair shake."

James is a longtime foe of Trump. In 2022 she filed a civil fraud lawsuit against him; in 2024 he was found liable for fraud and ordered to pay more than $350 million, but the penalty was overturned on appeal.

An attorney for one accused student has separately called on James to step aside over her prior comments. James has the power to bring charges or decline to bring them, and either outcome will be judged partly on whether her office is seen as neutral.

A pundit's culture claim draws backlash

On ABC News on Sunday, Oct. 4, New York Times columnist Michelle Cottle tied the allegations to Trump. "We are in a moment in this culture where the glorification of being thuggish and swaggering and mistreating women is kind of making you a cool kid," she said. "We can go to the president for this one."

The alleged assault took place in 2024, when Joe Biden was president. Fox News contributor Joe Concha and CNN contributor Scott Jennings were among those who pushed back. Jennings called it the "latest edition of 'Trump turned me into a newt!'" Former DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said pundits "fall all over themselves trying to make everything and anything about Donald Trump."

The Title IX fight

House Democratic women are tying the case to federal policy. Democratic Women's Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico and Vice Chairs Emilia Sykes of Ohio and Hillary Scholten of Michigan said Doe's story "should be a wake-up call Republicans cannot ignore." They want Republicans and the Trump administration to condemn what happened and strengthen protections for survivors.

On Friday, 99 Democrats sent a letter demanding that the Education Department's inspector general investigate the Trump administration's enforcement of Title IX protections for college students who report sexual assault and harassment, and whether the White House has undermined protections for sexual assault survivors.

The caucus pointed to the Education Department's decision to rescind the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Critics say that would weaken protections for sexual assault victims. The caucus said it has repeatedly blasted Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Republicans in Congress for their attacks on Title IX.

The legal footing is messier than that framing suggests. The Biden-era Title IX rule was already struck down in the court system after challenges from Republican states. Axios noted that the latest Title IX fight in Washington has largely centered on sexual orientation and gender identity, but also affects how colleges handle sexual misconduct allegations.

What comes next

Immediately at issue is whether James's investigation produces charges against any of the seven men, and on what timeline. No charges have been filed.

In Washington, Leger Fernández is already leading an effort with Republican Women's Caucus Chair Kat Cammack of Florida to combat sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill. Axios said it is watching whether the Cornell allegations generate bipartisan interest in strengthening federal campus sexual assault protections.