New York Attorney General Letitia James is beginning a civil “review” of Cornell University’s handling of the so-called “Cornell 7” gang rape case, her office said.
James announced the review weeks after the case became public, when a former Cornell student sued the Ivy League university and alleged that she was raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024.
“My office has civil jurisdiction, not criminal jurisdiction,” James said Wednesday evening during an interview with Spectrum News.
The attorney general said the review will examine how Cornell responded to the allegations and whether the university should strengthen its policies and campus security. “At this point in time we are possibly looking at how Cornell handled this situation and whether or not they could update their protocols and provide security to all their students,” James said. “Particularly individuals who are the victims of sexual assault.”
In her lawsuit, the alleged victim criticized Cornell’s internal Title IX process, which included 12 hearings. She also claimed the students accused of assault faced limited consequences, with only two of the seven expelled.
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Cornell has rejected those allegations, saying it coordinated its response with police and barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus.
Here’s the latest on the ‘Cornell 7’ frat probe:
Separately, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said his office reopened a criminal investigation into the alleged rape.
James spoke as other officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, urged additional investigations and reviews of the case, which has triggered intense national outrage in recent weeks.
At a campaign event Sunday in Ithaca, home to Cornell, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the university and other “elite institutions,” accusing them of shielding a “culture of rape, sexual assault, and pedophilia.”
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