Lopes Seeks to Oust James From Cornell Investigation

Attorneys for Gillio Lopes, one of seven men named in a civil lawsuit over alleged sexual assaults at Cornell University, filed a petition seeking to void New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s appointment of Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in a separate criminal investigation. The petition argues that James’s public remarks about the complainant showed bias. No court ruling was reported as of October 9, 2026. The Article 78 petition was filed on October 7 in Albany County Supreme Court. It challenges Hochul’s October 1 appointment of James to oversee the investigation into whether criminal charges are warranted. The filing asks the court to overturn the appointment and assign a different prosecutor, according to accounts of the petition. Lopes’s lawyers point to a September 28 social media post in which James said the woman had endured something “horrific and unacceptable” and expressed support for her and survivors. The petition contends the post showed James had formed an opinion about the allegations before reviewing evidence and could not assess the case impartially. That is the defense’s claim, not a court finding.