Nearly two years after the complaint: Cornell University gang rape investigation reopened

The investigation into a suspected gang rape at Cornell University has been reopened, nearly two years after the original complaint. The district attorney in New York announced he will present evidence to a grand jury, following a lawsuit filed by a former student against seven fraternity members, alleging sexual assault in October 2024 after she was pressured to consume drugs and alcohol.

The investigation into a suspected gang rape at Cornell University has been reopened, nearly two years after the original complaint. New York State District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Monday that he will present evidence to a grand jury, following a lawsuit filed by a former student against seven fraternity members. The woman alleges she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Cornell campus in October 2024, after being pressured to snort ketamine, smoke marijuana, and drink alcohol. She claims that during the assault she was in a state that prevented her from resisting. The lawsuit, filed on September 16, sues the seven men, the fraternity, the university, and other parties, seeking unspecified damages. The prosecutor noted that in her initial police statement she did not claim she was drugged or raped by multiple men, and that her lawyer had not previously requested a review of the decision not to indict the suspects. Cornell University stated it supports reopening the investigation, and following an internal inquiry in 2024, some students were expelled and others suspended. The fraternity's campus chapter was closed that year and its activities remain banned. The university rejected the claim that those involved were only required to write essays, but declined to specify how many students were expelled or suspended.