NY's governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell frat rape investigation

What the report says

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has removed Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten from overseeing the Cornell University fraternity rape investigation and assigned the matter to state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor. According to the BBC report, Hochul said new information had raised concerns about how the case was handled and that she no longer had confidence in the county prosecutor’s ability to manage it fairly.

The case involves a woman who says she was drugged and raped by several men at a Cornell fraternity house in 2024. The allegations returned to public attention after she filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell University last month, accusing the school of failing to protect her and adequately discipline those involved. Court documents identify her as Jane Doe. The men have been referred to in coverage as the “Cornell Seven.”

Van Houten had previously declined to bring charges, saying his office lacked enough evidence, but later reopened the case after the civil suit and said some newly public details had not been provided earlier. Cornell said it shared evidence from its own inquiry, including a Snapchat group chat. James said her office would proceed based on the facts and law, and Hochul said the victim deserved a full review. The case matters because it raises broader questions about sexual-assault investigations, university accountability and prosecutorial decision-making.