Letitia James to lead renewed Cornell assault inquiry

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed special prosecutor in a renewed criminal investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members sexually assaulted a student in 2024. The men have denied wrongdoing, and the supplied reports say no criminal charges have been filed. The investigation’s outcome remains unknown. The woman, identified in court filings as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit on September 16, 2026, naming seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. She alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at the fraternity house in Ithaca in October 2024. The claims in the lawsuit have not been established in court. The renewed inquiry follows an earlier decision by the Tompkins County district attorney’s office not to pursue charges. Reports describe the district attorney as reopening the investigation before oversight was transferred to James, though they do not consistently distinguish those procedural stages. The appointment followed renewed scrutiny of how the original inquiry was handled. No charging decision in the renewed investigation has been reported.