Cornell case reopened as prosecutors plan charges
Tompkins County’s district attorney says prosecutors will pursue charges over an alleged 2024 assault involving seven Chi Phi fraternity members. No charges had been reported as filed.
Prosecutors in Tompkins County, New York, have reopened an investigation into an alleged 2024 sexual assault at Cornell University. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office plans to file criminal charges against seven Chi Phi fraternity members.
A civil lawsuit filed this month alleges the woman was drugged with ketamine and assaulted by the men. The suit seeks financial damages from Cornell and the seven suspects. The allegations have not been established in court.
Van Houten said prosecutors declined to pursue the case in 2024 because the woman’s testimony did not establish a lack of consent. He said the office reconsidered after her latest allegations, but the source report did not specify what additional evidence prompted the reopening.
Cornell said it supports the reinvestigation. The university disputed the lawsuit’s claim that the suspects were offered essays to mitigate their conduct, saying claims that it failed to impose consequential punishments were false.
According to France 24, Cornell closed the fraternity, temporarily suspended students involved and later expelled several of them. The lawsuit also alleges the woman suffered severe emotional and psychological distress.
