Cornell University has declined to publicly release a six-page report from its 2024 investigation into an alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house. A university spokesperson stated that the Cornell University Police Department shared a lengthy investigation report with the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office and directed further inquiries to that office. This decision comes as New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, that the university has agreed to hire outside counsel for an independent investigation into the matter following her request.
The case involves a former student, identified as Jane Doe, who filed a civil lawsuit earlier in September 2026 against the university and seven then-members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The lawsuit alleges that Doe was drugged with ketamine and raped by multiple men during an October 19, 2024, party. While a university Title IX hearing resulted in the expulsion of two students and suspensions for others, no criminal charges were filed in 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced this week that he is reopening the criminal investigation to determine if the case should be presented to a grand jury.
Disputes have emerged regarding the evidence provided to prosecutors during the initial 2024 investigation. Van Houten stated he did not pursue charges originally because the six-page sworn statement provided by Cornell did not allege that Doe was drugged without her knowledge or that she was physically helpless. However, a transcript of Doe’s interview with campus police, recently obtained by CBS News, reportedly shows her stating she was "100% certain" she was raped. Van Houten said his office was never given that transcript or certain Snapchat messages between fraternity members, which Doe's attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, claims were provided to authorities in 2024.
The scale of the case involves allegations of multiple perpetrators and a university-led Title IX investigation that lasted several months. If the district attorney moves forward with a grand jury, the affected individuals could face criminal records, imprisonment, or registry as sex offenders. Conversely, the university faces a civil lawsuit seeking unspecified damages for failing to protect the student. Survivors of sexual assault in the Cornell community may notice changes in how campus police conduct interviews and how the university coordinates with the District Attorney’s office, as Governor Hochul has directed her team to review and strengthen state-level protections for survivors on college campuses.
Legal experts and campus administrators will be watching the precedent set by the independent review by outside counsel. This step, agreed to by Cornell’s president, could lead to new mandates for how universities share evidence, such as interview transcripts and digital messages, with local prosecutors. The university has stated that its internal hearing panel already issued the "range of sanctions" available, including expulsion, and denied claims that students were only required to write essays. What happens next depends on the Tompkins County grand jury review and the findings of the independent counsel. No specific court dates for the civil lawsuit or deadlines for the independent report were provided.