An attorney for one of seven men accused of a 2024 sexual assault at a Cornell University fraternity house is calling for New York Attorney General Letitia James to recuse herself as special prosecutor. Andrew Miltenberg, representing Gillio Lopes, requested the recusal after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James to lead the investigation on October 2, 2026. Miltenberg cited prior social media posts by James as the basis for his request, arguing they could be seen as expressing a view on the merits of the case before an independent evaluation of the evidence occurred.
The case involves allegations of a gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house. Gov. Hochul removed the local district attorney from the matter, stating she had "zero confidence" in the previous handling of the case. Hochul noted that a six-page police summary provided to the district attorney had omitted a statement from the accuser expressing 100% certainty that she had been raped. Additionally, reports indicated that a Snapchat group thread involving approximately 50 fraternity members contained information that was not fully pursued during the initial investigation.
Miltenberg stated that his client "unequivocally denies the allegations" and clarified that his request was not an accusation of bad faith or legal disqualification. He argued that James' previous public comments, in which she described what the accuser endured as "horrific and unacceptable" and stated "we stand with you," created an "avoidable question" regarding the integrity of the investigation. Miltenberg suggested the case should be led by a prosecutor who has made no prior public statements about the allegations.
The scale of the case involves hundreds of pages of evidence and testimony, including Title IX documents and extensive social media records. While the legal proceedings involve these specific individuals, Gov. Hochul has indicated the case could lead to a change in state law for all New York residents. She announced plans to work with the New York State Legislature to close a "voluntary intoxication loophole," which currently limits prosecutors' ability to prove lack of consent if a victim consumed drugs or alcohol voluntarily. New York is one of 20 states with such a provision, according to legal analysts.
A person involved in a future sexual assault case in New York would notice a change in how consent is legally defined if the legislature acts on Hochul's proposal. For the current Cornell case, Attorney General James stated on October 2, 2026, that she would not comment further on her previous social media posts and would pursue charges if the evidence supported them. The investigation will continue through a review of testimony and potential new interviews. No specific trial dates or deadlines for the recusal request have been reported.