New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Thursday, October 1, 2026, appointing the office of Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate an alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house. The order removes Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten from the case following the release of internal university investigation documents.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house. Cornell University conducted a Title IX investigation in 2025 that included 50 interviews with 32 witnesses, while campus police conducted a two-day interview with the complainant, identified as Jane Doe, in November 2024. Although the university shared a six-page statement with the district attorney's office at that time, no criminal charges were filed.
According to 565 pages of transcripts obtained by CBS News, Jane Doe told investigators she was drugged with ketamine and assaulted by multiple men after a consensual encounter with two individuals. The transcripts detail a fraternity Snapchat thread where a member allegedly suggested a woman was available for sex; a fraternity member told investigators approximately 50 members were on the thread. Van Houten told CBS News he was never provided the full transcripts of the police interview and stated that if he had heard Jane Doe's specific testimony regarding the assault, his office would have wanted to explore the matter further.
The appointment of a special prosecutor follows a civil lawsuit filed by Jane Doe against the university and seven fraternity members. For the defendants, this shift means their actions will now be scrutinized by the state’s highest law enforcement office rather than the local prosecutor who previously declined to charge them. For the complainant, the move represents a formal reopening of a criminal probe into an incident that occurred two years ago.
The university-led Title IX probe resulted in the expulsion of two students and the suspension of two others, while the fraternity chapter itself was shut down. Students at a recent forum expressed frustration over how the university manages sexual assault reports. The Student Assembly has passed resolutions calling for increased transparency in assault cases, a review of orientation programs, and improved counseling services for survivors.
The Governor cited a loss of confidence in the district attorney’s ability to investigate the case following the release of new information. The Attorney General's office will now direct the probe and determine whether to present evidence to a grand jury. The transition of the case to the special prosecutor is effective immediately under the executive order signed October 1. The civil lawsuit remains active in the court system.