Cornell faces questions over alleged sexual assault case
Fox News correspondent Nate Foy reports on the latest developments in the Cornell University sexual assault allegations, including the renewed investigation and growing demands for New York Attorney General Letitia James to transfer the case, on “Special Report.”
The Ithaca Common Council voted late Wednesday to temporarily suspend city permits for Cornell University and affiliated student organizations, including fraternities, amid mounting criticism of the university’s response to rape allegations brought by a former student.
Following several hours of discussion, the council approved the moratorium by a 9-1 vote. The measure prevents Cornell from securing new permits for assemblies, parades and special events on the Ithaca Commons, as well as activities that require city noise permits. Council members cited concerns about public safety.
Many Cornell students and Ithaca residents backed the action, while some graduate students argued that the policy was too sweeping and could interfere with university events that have no connection to Greek life.
The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation from a former Cornell student identified as “Jane Doe” stands on the campus of Cornell University on October 7, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
One graduate student cautioned that the restrictions could force events to be canceled or postponed, jeopardize deposits, limit access to venues and create complications for academic conferences.
The moratorium is scheduled to remain in effect through Nov. 5, unless the council votes to prolong it. An amendment also directs Cornell to refer cases involving alleged sexual or violent crimes to the Ithaca Police Department, although the practical enforcement of that requirement remains uncertain.
The council’s action follows a lawsuit filed in September by the former student, identified as Jane Doe. She accused seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity of drugging and raping her during the night of Oct. 19, 2024, and into the next morning.
According to the complaint, Doe arrived at the fraternity house already intoxicated and was later pressured to take ketamine and other drugs. The men named in the lawsuit have denied the allegations. Some have said the sexual activity was consensual, while others deny taking part.
Students protest on Ho Plaza at Cornell University, Monday October 5, 2026 in Ithaca, NY. in response to an The protest in response to an alleged sexual assault in 2024, accused are some members of the Chi Phi fraternity. (Richard Beetham for News Media)
Doe’s civil complaint says the fraternity was suspended on Nov. 8, 2024—the same day she reported the alleged sexual assault to Cornell campus police.
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Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to bring charges. He has said Doe’s sworn statement from November 2024 did not claim that she had been drugged without her consent or subjected to a gang rape. Instead, he characterized the statement as describing her drug use and sexual activity as “voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”
However, CBS New York later obtained transcripts from Cornell police interviews conducted with Doe on Nov. 14 and 15, 2024. During those interviews, she told investigators, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.”
Van Houten said his office did not receive the complete interview transcript. Late last month, he announced that the case would be reopened, citing differences between the allegations in Doe’s lawsuit and the sworn account she gave nearly two years earlier.
Thousands of Cornell University students and others from the Cornell community fill Ho Plaza for the Justice for Survivors protest hosted by twenty student organizations Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Matt Burkhartt/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, said Cornell police gave his client the impression that the criminal investigation was still underway. That occurred even though Van Houten had decided not to pursue charges only days after her initial interview with investigators.
Van Houten has maintained that he directed Cornell police to tell Doe that prosecutors would not file charges. He has also acknowledged that he never personally communicated that decision to Doe or her lawyer.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul shifted control of the matter away from Van Houten on Oct. 1, appointing Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation.
“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024,” Hochul said in a statement.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James during a news conference in New York on Oct. 2, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She added: “This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public’s faith, in the District Attorney’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time.”
On Wednesday, one of the men named in Jane Doe’s lawsuit petitioned a court to remove James from the case, accusing her of bias over a social media post she made days before her appointment in which she called what Doe allegedly endured “horrific and unacceptable,” The Associated Press reported.