New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that the woman who accused Cornell University fraternity members of gang rape was “not protected” by those who had an obligation to protect her, including police and county prosecutors.
Hochul made the allegation at a news conference where she detailed her decision to turn the case over to a special prosecutor, state Attorney General Letitia James.
The governor said she made the decision after learning “disturbing details” about how authorities have handled the woman’s allegations so far, including that the district attorney closed the case without anyone interviewing the victim or anyone else involved in the alleged attack.
“In what world would the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved or even request a full transcript?” Hochul said. “This woman, this young woman, has been through something completely unspeakable. And then, at every turn, she has been failed by the people and institutions that have an obligation to protect her.”
She also criticized the Cornell University Police Department for not adequately conveying the woman’s story to prosecutors.
“After this young woman came forward, she spoke with police. She sat there for several hours and told them what exactly happened. Based on the new reports, she was 100 percent convinced she had been raped,” the governor said. “Shockingly, however, these words never appeared in the account Cornell police sent to prosecutors.”
Hochul said Thursday that she appointed James to oversee the case because she had lost confidence in the local district attorney’s ability to handle the case.
The investigation initially ended in 2024 without charges.
The woman filed a lawsuit last month and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation. He has since faced criticism that he abandoned the initial investigation too quickly.
Hochul said the attorney general will oversee the investigation and present evidence to a grand jury if necessary.
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice will be served,” she said in a statement Thursday.
Van Houten did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.
The case shocked the Ivy League campus, raising questions about its response and larger questions about how college campuses handle sexual assault.
The woman, named only as Jane Doe in court documents, told campus police in November 2024 that she had been sexually assaulted and then discussed the matter with internal university investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.
The lawsuit against seven fraternity brothers, the university, Chi Phi fraternity and other institutions alleges that she frequently used drugs and alcohol and then suffered sexual acts from a group of men while she was partially or completely incapacitated. The lawsuit alleges that one of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening and inviting people to participate.
Lawyers for the two men she is suing deny they were involved in the sexual assault. One said his client had not touched the woman. The AP’s attempts to contact others or their representatives were unsuccessful.
New York’s governor has turned to the attorney general in the past to oversee important cases.
In 2018, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed then-Nassau County District Attorney Madeleine Singas as special prosecutor to investigate Eric Schneiderman. Eric Schneiderman resigned as New York attorney general after women accused him of violent slapping, choking and other abuse.
In 2021, James oversaw a non-criminal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading to his resignation. Cuomo initially tried to choose who would lead the investigation into the allegations. He then allowed James to choose two independent attorneys to lead it.
James’ office also handles other criminal work and has the authority under state law to investigate every death involving law enforcement in the state. But typically she cannot launch a criminal investigation without a referral from the local district attorney, the governor or a state agency, or an appointment like the one Hochul made Thursday.