Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case of a 20-year-old student who alleges she was drugged with ketamine and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The decision came after local DA Matthew Van Houten initially closed the case without charges, sparking outrage in the Ithaca community. The university agreed to an independent review by outside attorneys.
Giorgos Papagiannis | 02.10.2026 International
The case has gripped Cornell University and American public opinion since late September. A former student, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe,” filed a 101-page lawsuit on September 18, 2026, detailing what happened on the night of October 19, 2024, at the Chi Phi fraternity house. According to the complaint, the then-20-year-old student and sorority member had consumed about ten drinks over three hours before arriving at the Chi Phi house to meet a friend. There, two fraternity members allegedly gave her more alcohol and pressured her to inhale a substance they presented as ketamine.
Then, according to the lawsuit, a member sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group chat saying there was “free sex” upstairs. The message was sent to more than 50 members. What followed, as described, was a hours-long gang rape, with some of the men pouring ketamine on her body and inhaling it. The student stated she lost consciousness around 5:45 a.m.
The lawsuit targets seven fraternity members, the university itself, and Chi Phi, with charges including negligence, breach of contract, sexual assault, and violation of the New York Human Rights Law. Two of the accused, through their lawyers, deny any involvement. One lawyer said his client “never touched the woman.” Another admitted participating in the Snapchat conversation but denied any sexual activity.
The authorities’ response was initially lukewarm. Cornell police investigated the case, but Tompkins County DA Matthew Van Houten decided not to press charges, arguing that the student’s initial statement did not contain allegations of drugging without consent or gang rape.
“Jane Doe’s sworn statement in November 2024 did not mention being drugged against her will or being gang raped.”
However, the student’s lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, countered that the police statement “did not differ substantially” from what is alleged in the 2026 lawsuit.
The case snowballed. Dozens of students and Ithaca residents gathered at forums organized by Cornell’s student government, demanding transparency and accountability. The community reacted strongly to the release of the Snapchat messages and revelations about how the university handled the case. According to the lawsuit, seven fraternity members had “the opportunity to mitigate their behavior by submitting reports to Cornell” – a claim the university denies, citing that it imposed sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions, and shut down the local Chi Phi chapter in 2024.
Under pressure from public opinion and politicians, Van Houten announced on Monday, September 28, that he was reopening the investigation, stating that “the pursuit of justice sometimes requires us to revisit or reopen cases when we are provided with additional evidence.” Meanwhile, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James began reviewing the university’s initial response to the allegations.
The climax came on Thursday, October 1. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing Letitia James as special prosecutor, removing the case from the local DA.
“Information recently made public raises serious questions about the investigation conducted by Cornell police and the decision of the Tompkins County DA not to prosecute. This undermined my faith, and the public’s faith, in the DA’s ability to investigate and prosecute this case at this time.”
She stressed that the young woman “deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice will be pursued.”
The next day, Cornell agreed to cooperate with outside attorneys for an independent review of its handling of the case. University spokesman Kyle Kimbell said that “any suggestion that the university did not impose meaningful sanctions is false.”
The case has brought to the fore a broader issue: how universities and local authorities in the US handle allegations of sexual violence. Governor Hochul’s decision to remove the case from the local DA and assign it to the state attorney general is a rare intervention and sends a clear message that the case is now being handled at the highest level. In the coming period, Letitia James will review the evidence and, if deemed appropriate, present the case to a grand jury. For “Jane Doe,” this development represents the first substantive judicial prospect after nearly two years of waiting.
