New York prosecutors reopen investigation after student files lawsuit over alleged gang rape at Cornell University

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Prosecutors in New York are reopening an investigation into an alleged gang rape of a former Cornell University student after a civil lawsuit was filed earlier this month by the woman’s lawyer, claiming the school did not do enough to protect the victim.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told ABC his office plans to present the case to a grand jury after the original investigation into the alleged 2024 assault resulted in no criminal charges. Van Houten said the allegations in the civil complaint were “dramatically different” than the woman’s statement to police two years ago, at the time of the alleged incident.

The disturbing allegations about the assault of the former student, identified as Jane Doe, have already sparked widespread criticism and again put a spotlight on how universities handle student claims of sexual assault.

“It’s our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation,” Van Houten told ABC. “We want to reexamine whether there’s additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct.”

Van Houten told CNN his office would release a public statement on the investigation Monday morning.

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In the civil complaint, filed September 16, Doe alleges that seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her at the frat house in October 2024 and invited other fraternity members in a group chat to join the assault, sharing the photo of a snapchat group message as part of the suit.

None of the fraternity members have been criminally charged. The complaint alleges temporary suspensions were issued for the seven named students, who it said “were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays” to the university – a claim Cornell denied.

CNN has reached out to the Cornell University Police Department, the Chi Phi fraternity and others named in the lawsuit.

Van Houten told ABC that his office didn’t bring criminal charges at the time because Doe did not allege she was drugged or assaulted. He also said the photo of the group chat included in the complaint was never provided to his office.

“She never says that she was drugged without her knowledge. She admits to taking drugs and alcohol voluntarily and with knowledge. She does not allege that she was forced to engage in any acts. She does not say that she was physically helpless or unconscious or incapacitated at any point during the time at the fraternity house,” Van Houten said of Doe’s 2024 statement to investigators.

Van Houten acknowledged to ABC that his office relied on the investigation conducted by the Cornell University Police Department and did not “independently investigate” the allegations, a practice he said was in line with many upstate New York counties.

Doe’s attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, told CNN in a statement that the police report was “not materially different” from what was contained in the complaint and criticized the district attorney’s office for not doing more at the time.

“It is challenging for me to understand how a thorough criminal investigation could have been conducted when she never spoke with anyone other than the officer who took her original complaint,” Giuffra said, adding he believed “opportunities to fully investigate these crimes were lost.”

“Other than her initial contact with Cornell Police, she was not contacted by investigators from the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office or any investigators trained in interviewing rape survivors,” Giuffra told CNN.

“While I do not care for the attempt to blame Ms. Doe for these failures, we appreciate and support any efforts prosecute the parties,” Guiffra said. “If the District Attorney’s office is now considering prosecution, I believe that it is a step in the right direction, albeit a late one.”

Cornell said in a statement Monday that it “supports the decision of the Tompkins County District Attorney (DA) to provide an opportunity for the victim’s story … to be heard by a criminal grand jury.”

In a statement September 21, Cornell declined to confirm the individual disciplinary outcomes, citing federal student privacy law, and said that violations of university policy “could lead to sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion,” adding, that it “We will respond in detail through the legal process.”

Doe’s attorney said that Cornell ultimately expelled two of the seven accused students, while the others received lesser punishment, including suspensions, workshops or written assignments.

Cornell countered that claim in its Monday statement, saying there was a range of sanctions for the accused students, including suspensions and expulsions, but “none of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.”

The sanctions came after it conducted a formal Title IX investigation, separate from the criminal proceeding, and a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days, the school said.

“Any suggestion that the University did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” the statement read. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.”

The school also said it barred the Xi chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity from its campus and launched a sexual assault task force shortly after the incident, adding it has implemented several of the group’s recommendations.

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An attorney for one of the accused fraternity brothers denied any wrongdoing by his client. CNN is working to determine if the other fraternity brothers have representation.

“Even the District Attorney’s Office, led by a chief prosecutor with the duty to pursue justice and uphold the rule of law without bias or favor, filed no charges against [him] because what she alleged did not happen,” the attorney, Jeremy Saland, said in a statement to CNN. “At bottom, [he] never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way.”

Jane Doe, in a statement to CNN, described to CNN how she went to Cornell “with great hope and promise for a good education,” but suffered in a way that has caused emotional and psychological distress as a result of the alleged assault.

“What I experienced from those who raped me in the fraternity was the worst experience of my life. I was brutalized and it injured me physically but perhaps more importantly, emotionally,” Doe said. “I want to recover from this trauma but it is extremely difficult. It affects every aspect of my life. It will haunt me and be part of me the rest of my life.”

The 101-page complaint brings claims including negligence, breach of contract, sexual assault and battery, and violations of New York’s Human Rights Law.

It says Doe was 20 years old and had been drinking at her sorority house and a bar before she arrived at the Chi Phi house to visit a friend, who was one of the fraternity members on the night of October 19, 2024.

According to the suit, the alleged victim Jane Doe had already consumed about ten standard drinks within the past 3 hours when she arrived at the fraternity house.

The complaint alleges the friend and another fraternity member gave her more alcohol and pressured her into snorting a substance they described as ketamine, and that she was then sexually assaulted while “incapable of consent.”

At roughly 1:42 a.m., one of the men allegedly sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group chat – titled “Chi Phi Actives” – stating there was “free p—y” upstairs.

By doing this, the suit alleges that one of the accused “encouraged other XI CHAPTER members to join in on the gang rape of plaintiff.”

A photo of a portion of the chat is included in the filing. Multiple fraternity members then entered the room, where the complaint alleges they pressured Doe into taking more ketamine and subjected her to an hours-long assault that continued until approximately 5:45 a.m.

Doe reported the incident to the Cornell University Police Department on November 8, 2024, the complaint says. Cornell suspended the Chi Phi chapter and the seven accused students, “who were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell,” according to the lawsuit, which Cornell denied.

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The complaint faults Cornell for failing to properly discipline after the assault, “all the while sheltering them from speaking to law enforcement, and silencing victims.”

Cornell’s “conduct was so outrageous, shocking, despicable, and contemptible that it exceeds the reasonable bounds of decency as measured by what the average member of the community would tolerate and demonstrates an utter disregard for the consequences that would follow,” the lawsuit says.

The complaint is seeking a jury trial to determine monetary damages.

The lawsuit – and along with the lack of criminal charges and accusations of inadequate discipline – has drawn a wave of outrage.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York City, condemned what she described as a “culture of rape” at elite universities and institutions during a Sunday town hall in Ithaca, where Cornell is located.

“Those men posted in a group chat,” Ocasio-Cortez said referencing allegations in the lawsuit. “That means it was normal to them, that means it was acceptable to them. This is a culture, this is norms, these are practices, and what we must do is understand that we cannot protect those spaces anymore,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

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Actor Florence Pugh also posted an impassioned response in a lengthy Instagram post Sunday, writing, “I’m no longer tired – I’m enraged by schools protecting boys, in fear of their futures being wrecked.”

“What about the life that those girls then have to endure, with the knowledge that his reputation is more precious than her truth?” she added.

Pugh also addressed Doe directly, calling her “so unbelievably powerful” and “so strong willed.” “Know that women everywhere are here to hold you and help you on your healing journey,” she wrote.

CNN’s Sammy Lindell and Gloria Pazmino contributed to this report.

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纽约检察官正在重启对康奈尔大学一名前学生遭轮奸案的调查。此前，该女子的律师于本月初提起民事诉讼，声称学校没有采取足够措施保护受害者。

汤普金斯县地方检察官马修·范·豪顿告诉美国广播公司（ABC），由于对这起2024年发生的袭击事件的初步调查未导致任何刑事指控，他的办公室计划将此案提交给大陪审团。范·豪顿表示，民事诉讼中的指控与该女子两年前事发时向警方提供的证词“截然不同”。

关于一名化名为简·多伊的前学生遭到性侵犯的令人不安的指控已经引发了广泛的批评，并再次将人们的注意力集中在大学如何处理学生提出的性侵犯指控上。

范·豪顿告诉美国广播公司：“我们打算在简·多伊的配合下，将此案提交给汤普金斯县大陪审团。我们希望重新审查是否存在我们在2024年11月时未曾发现的、如今已存在的、足以改变我们对案件评估并最终促使大陪审团认定存在犯罪行为的其他证据。”

范·豪顿告诉 CNN，他的办公室将于周一上午就调查结果发表公开声明。

一个不完善的过程：校园如何处理性侵犯事件

在 9 月 16 日提交的民事诉讼中，原告 Doe 声称，2024 年 10 月，康奈尔大学 Chi Phi 兄弟会的七名成员在兄弟会会所对她下药并进行性侵犯，并在群聊中邀请其他兄弟会成员参与性侵犯。她还在诉讼中分享了一张 Snapchat 群聊照片。

目前尚无任何兄弟会成员受到刑事指控。投诉称，校方对七名被点名的学生处以暂时停学处分，并“给予他们机会通过向学校提交论文来减轻其行为的影响”——康奈尔大学否认了这一说法。

CNN已联系康奈尔大学警察局、Chi Phi兄弟会以及诉讼中提到的其他各方。

范·豪顿告诉美国广播公司，他的办公室当时没有提起刑事诉讼，因为原告约翰·多伊并未声称自己被下药或遭到性侵。他还表示，原告在投诉中提供的群聊截图从未提交给他的办公室。

“她从未说过自己是在不知情的情况下被下药的。她承认自己是自愿且知情地服用毒品和酒精的。她没有声称自己被迫从事任何行为。她也没有说过在兄弟会宿舍期间，自己曾处于身体无助、昏迷或丧失行为能力的状态，”范·豪顿在谈到约翰·多伊2024年向调查人员提供的证词时说道。

范·豪顿向美国广播公司承认，他的办公室依赖于康奈尔大学警察局进行的调查，并没有“独立调查”这些指控，他表示这种做法与纽约州北部许多县的做法一致。

Doe 的律师 Thomas P. Giuffra 在一份声明中告诉 CNN，警方报告与投诉中的内容“没有实质性不同”，并批评地方检察官办公室当时没有采取更多行动。

“我很难理解，在她除了最初受理她投诉的警官之外，从未与任何人交谈过的情况下，如何能进行彻底的刑事调查，”吉弗拉说，并补充说他认为“彻底调查这些罪行的机会已经错失了”。

“除了最初与康奈尔大学警方接触外，汤普金斯县地方检察官办公室的调查人员或任何受过采访强奸幸存者培训的调查人员都没有联系过她，”吉弗拉告诉 CNN。

“虽然我不赞成将这些过失归咎于简·多伊女士，但我们赞赏并支持任何追究相关人员责任的努力，”吉弗拉说。“如果地方检察官办公室现在正在考虑提起诉讼，我认为这是朝着正确方向迈出的一步，尽管来得有点晚。”

康奈尔大学周一发表声明称，该校“支持汤普金斯县地方检察官的决定，即让受害者的遭遇有机会被刑事大陪审团听取”。

康奈尔大学在 9 月 21 日的一份声明中拒绝确认具体的处分结果，理由是联邦学生隐私法，并表示违反大学政策“可能导致包括停学或开除在内的处罚”，还补充说，“我们将通过法律程序做出详细回应”。

Doe 的律师表示，康奈尔大学最终开除了七名被指控学生中的两名，而其他学生则受到了较轻的处罚，包括停学、参加研讨会或提交书面作业。

康奈尔大学在周一的声明中反驳了这一说法，称对被指控的学生采取了一系列制裁措施，包括停学和开除，但“没有任何被指控的学生仅仅因为参与此事就被给予撰写论文的机会”。

学校表示，这些制裁是在学校进行了一项正式的第九条修正案调查之后做出的，该调查与刑事诉讼无关，一个由训练有素的教职员工组成的小组听取了多天的证据。

声明中写道：“任何关于大学没有对涉事人员施加相应惩罚的说法都是不实的。继续散布此案后果轻微的错误说法是不负责任的，会让幸存者感到更不安全、更缺乏支持，并会助长性侵犯案件的瞒报现象。”

学校还表示，事件发生后不久，学校禁止 Chi Phi 兄弟会 Xi 分会进入校园，并成立了性侵犯工作组，并补充说，学校已经落实了该工作组的几项建议。

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批评人士称，特朗普政府的性侵犯新规导致校园重新开放，但这些新规更多地保护了被告而非幸存者。

其中一名被指控的兄弟会成员的律师否认其当事人有任何不当行为。CNN正在努力查明其他兄弟会成员是否已聘请律师。

“即使是由一位肩负着公正无私、维护法治职责的首席检察官领导的地区检察官办公室，也没有对他提起任何指控，因为她所指控的事情根本没有发生，”律师杰里米·萨兰德在给CNN的一份声明中说。“归根结底，他从未性侵过原告，甚至从未以任何方式触碰过她。”

简·多伊在向 CNN 发表的声明中向 CNN 描述了她如何“满怀希望地前往康奈尔大学接受良好的教育”，但由于所谓的性侵犯，她遭受了精神和心理上的痛苦。

“我在兄弟会里被强奸的经历是我人生中最可怕的经历。我遭受了残暴的对待，身体上受到了伤害，但更重要的是，精神上也受到了创伤，”Doe说道。“我想从这段创伤中恢复过来，但这极其困难。它影响着我生活的方方面面。它将一直萦绕在我心头，成为我余生的一部分。”

这份长达 101 页的诉状提出了包括疏忽、违约、性侵犯和殴打以及违反纽约州人权法等指控。

报道称，2024 年 10 月 19 日晚，Doe 20 岁，在前往 Chi Phi 兄弟会会所探望一位朋友（该兄弟会成员）之前，她曾在自己的姐妹会会所和酒吧喝酒。

诉讼称，受害者简·多伊在到达兄弟会会所之前，在过去的 3 小时内已经喝了大约 10 杯标准饮品。

投诉称，这位朋友和另一名兄弟会成员给她喝了更多酒，并强迫她吸食一种他们称之为氯胺酮的物质，然后在她“无法同意”的情况下对她进行了性侵犯。

凌晨 1 点 42 分左右，其中一名男子据称向兄弟会的 Snapchat 群聊（名为“Chi Phi Actives”）发送了一条消息，称楼上有“免费的 p—y”。

诉讼称，通过这种方式，其中一名被告“鼓励其他 XI CHAPTER 成员参与对原告的轮奸”。

诉讼文件中包含部分聊天记录的截图。随后，多名兄弟会成员进入房间，诉状称他们强迫Doe服用更多氯胺酮，并对她进行了长达数小时的性侵犯，直至凌晨5点45分左右。

诉状称，Doe于2024年11月8日向康奈尔大学警察局报案。康奈尔大学暂停了Chi Phi兄弟会分会和七名被指控学生的活动，并“给予他们机会通过向康奈尔大学提交论文来减轻其行为的后果”，但康奈尔大学否认了这一说法。

Aaron M. Sprecher/美联社/档案照片

俄亥俄州立大学与近300名性侵幸存者达成1亿美元的和解协议

投诉指责康奈尔大学在袭击事件发生后未能进行适当的惩戒，“同时还包庇他们不与执法部门交谈，并让受害者噤声”。

诉讼称，康奈尔的“行为如此令人愤慨、震惊、卑鄙和可鄙，以至于超出了普通民众所能容忍的合理体面范围，并且完全无视由此产生的后果”。

该诉讼请求进行陪审团审判，以确定金钱赔偿金额。

这起诉讼，以及缺乏刑事指控和纪律处分不足的指控，引发了轩然大波。

来自纽约市的民主党众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯在康奈尔大学所在的伊萨卡市举行的周日市政厅会议上，谴责了她所说的精英大学和机构中的“强奸文化”。

奥卡西奥-科尔特斯在提及诉讼中的指控时说：“这些人在一个群聊里发帖。这意味着对他们来说这是正常的，这意味着这是可以接受的。这是一种文化，这是一种规范，这是一种惯例，我们必须明白，我们不能再保护这些空间了。”

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亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯在描述国会暴乱带来的创伤时表示，她是性侵犯的幸存者。

演员弗洛伦斯·皮尤周日也在 Instagram 上发表了一篇长文，表达了她激动的回应：“我不再感到疲惫——我感到愤怒的是，学校为了保护男孩，害怕他们的未来被毁掉。”

她补充道：“那么，那些女孩接下来的生活该如何度过？她们要知道，他的名誉比她们的真相更重要。”

普格还直接向简·多伊喊话，称她“无比强大”且“意志坚定”。她写道：“要知道，世界各地的女性都会支持你，帮助你走上疗愈之路。”

CNN的萨米·林德尔和格洛丽亚·帕兹米诺对本报道亦有贡献。