Prosecutors to Present Cornell Assault Allegations to Grand Jury

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten says his office plans to present allegations of a 2024 sexual assault involving a former Cornell University student to a grand jury, reopening scrutiny of a case that ended without criminal charges. The former student, identified as Jane Doe in a civil lawsuit, is cooperating, Van Houten said. Prosecutors have not decided whether to bring charges. The complaint, filed September 14 in New York County Supreme Court, alleges that seven men who were Cornell students in 2024 drugged and sexually assaulted Doe at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October of that year. The allegations have not been established in court. The suit names the men, Cornell, fraternity organizations and other defendants, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages without specifying an amount. No one has been criminally charged in connection with the allegations. Van Houten said prosecutors are examining whether they can now review evidence that was unavailable during the initial assessment in November 2024. He said Doe’s original account to police did not allege that she had been unknowingly drugged, forced into sexual activity or incapacitated.