Prosecutors Re‑open Cornell University Gang‑Rape Inquiry After Fresh Victim Allegations

On Monday, federal prosecutors announced the reopening of an investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, after accusations that the institution inadequately disciplined the men implicated.

In a civil suit filed this month, the alleged victim stated that she was drugged with ketamine, assaulted, and raped in 2024 by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, a male‑student social organization.

Cornell responded by shutting down the fraternity and temporarily suspending the implicated students, several of whom were subsequently expelled.

The release of new details about the alleged assault has intensified claims that the university was overly lenient and has revived a national conversation about sexual violence on American campuses.

Matthew Van Houten, the district attorney for Tompkins County, New York, said he intends to pursue criminal charges against the seven individuals.

He explained that his office declined to prosecute in 2024, citing insufficient evidence of non‑consent based on the victim’s testimony, but has reversed that decision after considering her recent allegations.

“I recognize the reality that it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them,” Van Houten said in a statement.

“Seeking justice sometimes requires us to reconsider or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence.”

Kyle Kimball, Cornell’s vice president for university relations, said the Ivy League institution backs the decision to reopen the investigation.

He also dismissed a claim from the civil lawsuit that the accused were given the option to write essays to lessen their responsibility.

“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” Kimball said.

The 101‑page civil complaint filed in New York provides graphic details of the alleged assault on the woman, whose identity remains confidential.

Notably, the complaint includes a screenshot of a Snapchat group chat that advertised “free pussy” during the alleged assault, apparently inviting other fraternity members to join.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages from Cornell and the seven individuals, noting that the woman has endured severe emotional and psychological distress.

British actress Florence Pugh expressed anger over the case, saying she felt “uneasy, sick, and anxious” after learning of the allegations.

“Colleges/schools/universities repeatedly fail women around the world,” she wrote on Instagram.

“You build men that get taught through time and time again that they can do extreme harm and that they won’t be harmed in return,” Pugh said.

Prominent Democratic legislator Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez denounced what she described as a “culture of rape” at elite schools such as Cornell.

“Jane Doe, that survivor, lost her education because you can’t stay in school when something like that happens to you,” Ocasio-Cortez said Sunday.

“She had to lose her education, and those men were protected by an institution and granted an Ivy League degree as a reward. Never again.”

Source link