Several New York lawmakers are responding to the recently filed civil lawsuit detailing an alleged gang rape that took place at a fraternity house on Cornell University's campus in 2024.
The lawsuit, which was filed in New York County Supreme Court on Sept. 14, alleges seven members of the Xi Chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity on Cornell's campus sexually assaulted and raped a then 20-year-old woman inside the fraternity house in October 2024. The woman, who is referred to by officials as Jane Doe, reported the incident several weeks after the incident, but no criminal charges were filed.
In a statement on Monday, Sept. 28, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office is revisiting that decision after learning about the lawsuit
on Sept. 18 and receiving many calls, voicemails and emails in recent weeks.
Here's how Ithaca-area representatives are responding to the lawsuit.
Hochul calls for an independent review into Cornell's response
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling for a "transparent, independent review" of Cornell's response to the incident alleged in the lawsuit "to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice."
The governor, who says there are "serious questions" about the university's campus culture, added that she supports the Tompkins County district attorney's decision to reopen the criminal investigation in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
“The allegations in this case are nothing short of horrifying," Hochul said. "For any student to come forward after an experience like this takes extraordinary courage. No student should ever be left wondering whether the institutions meant to protect them will listen and act."
'The status quo cannot continue,' state senator says
Sen. Lea Webb, a Democrat whose district includes Ithaca and Tompkins County, says she "share(s) the collective outrage here, across the nation, and throughout the world," in a statement on Monday, Sept. 28.
"To call what happened at Cornell a tragedy isn't enough because it diminishes the larger systemic issues surrounding this case," Webb continued. "This is an example of the many testimonies of victims of sexual assault who consistently raise issues about our broken systems and what happens when we fail to listen to survivors."
The state senator also stressed that colleges and universities need to increase their transparency in how they handle these types of cases, and pushed for the passage of legislation in New York that would aid in that.
"The status quo cannot continue," Webb said.
"We must increase funding for victims services who provide the kind of trauma-informed care that sexual assault survivors cannot receive anywhere else," she added. "We must pass legislation ... that makes the language used in these cases clear so there is never room for argument about someone being able to consent. We must ensure that all of those who are impacted are rendered justice and fully supported in their healing."
NY assemblymember calls Jane Doe 'strong, powerful and courageous'
Assemblymember Anna Kelles, a Democrat who represents Ithaca and Tompkins County, called the allegations "deeply disturbing" in a written statement on Monday.
"If two men were expelled, then clearly fault was identified," Kelles said. "The other five men remaining on campus without any restrictions was not a safe educational environment for Jane Doe. To feel safe, she left the university while the five men graduated with Cornell degrees."
Kelles also stressed that institutions need to do better in these situations and called on Cornell to be more transparent.
"Cornell may be limited in what it can disclose about individual student records," she said. "However, it can still explain, as fully as the law permits, how it handled evidence, what disciplinary actions were taken, and how and why it reached the decisions it did. The complainant herself deserves information about the outcome of her own university process."
The assemblymember also referred to her personal experience of being a survivor and called Jane Doe "strong, powerful and courageous."
"I was glad to see this morning that the criminal case has been reopened, particularly given new evidence like the appalling text exchange between the fraternity brothers," Kelles added. "And if Jane Doe is ready to share her truth and go through the arduous and re-traumatizing process of seeking justice, we owe her that."
Ithaca mayor pauses student, special event permits in city
In response to the lawsuit's allegations, Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo, a Democrat, announced a moratorium on all student event and special event permits on Monday "until such time that the University conducts an accounting of its protocols to prevent and prosecute crimes of sexual violence and publicly releases new standards and practices to keep our community safe."
Cantelmo, who said he learned of the "heinous and sickening allegations" late last week, added that he had "no choice" but to enact the pause, which includes Greek life and other student group gatherings.
"Despite the severity of these crimes, Cornell University administrators and police failed to contact or coordinate any response with the Ithaca Police Department," Cantelmo's statement continued. "Furthermore, the University failed to hold the perpetrators to account. This is a miscarriage of justice and continues to pose a significant threat to students and residents who may be victimized at unsafe and under-monitored on- or off-campus student events."
Ithaca Police Department in a statement on Monday asserted the 2024 incident "was not reported to the Ithaca Police Department," noting the law enforcement agency was "disturbed" to learn about the allegations recently "through the media."
What does the lawsuit allege?
Jane Doe was a full-time undergraduate student attending Cornell and living at the Alpha Beta Chapter of the Tri-Delta Sorority's house on the university's campus at the time of the alleged incident, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asserts that a number of events led to the incident, including:
- Her house mother observed her in an intoxicated state and took her to an event at Moonies Bar & Nightclub in downtown Ithaca on Oct. 19, 2024.
- Moonies employees served her alcohol "to the point of visible intoxication," despite her being underaged.
- She was supplied alcohol and drugs, including ketamine, to the point of intoxication by Chi Phi members at the Chi Phi house.
The lawsuit alleges multiple Chi Phi members then sexually assaulted and raped the victim for several hours. A Snapchat message discussing the incident was also sent to a Xi Chapter's group chat in the early hours of Oct. 20, 2024, according to the lawsuit.
The incident became public knowledge on Cornell's campus the following day, the lawsuit specifies, and Jane Doe reported it to the Cornell University Police Department on Nov. 8, 2024, the lawsuit notes. The Xi Chapter was placed on temporary suspension as well as the seven members alleged to be involved, "who were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell," the lawsuit adds.
How Cornell University is responding to the lawsuit
In a statement released by the university on Monday, Cornell University's Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball says they conducted a "thorough" Title IX investigation. At its conclusion, the university then had a panel of trained faculty and staff examine the evidence, which "issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell."
Kimball stressed nobody was offered to write an essay "as a sole consequence of their involvement," and the Xi Chapter has been barred from campus since 2024.
"Cornell University supports the decision of the Tompkins County District Attorney to provide an opportunity for the victim’s story in the 2024 Chi Phi fraternity sexual assault case to be heard by a criminal grand jury," Kimball's statement says.
"Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false," Kimball said. "A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addresses lawsuit during Ithaca visit
In a visit to Ithaca on Sunday, Sept. 27, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed the lawsuit at the start of a "Students vs. Billionaires" town hall she was holding inside the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center.
"I want to address one of the most pressing issues that we've seen come out of Ithaca just this past week," Ocasio-Cortez said.
The democratic socialist congresswoman condemned the "culture of rape, sexual assault and pedophilia" that is "protected in elite institutions," specifically naming Cornell, and said two of those named in the lawsuit have been expelled. In a previous statement shared by the university, Kimball said they can't make a public statement on the specifics of their disciplinary response due to federal privacy law.
"When I read about what happened at Cornell, those men posted in a group chat," Ocasio-Cortez said. "That means that it was normal to them. That means it was acceptable to them. This is a culture, this is norms, these are practices. And what we must do is understand that we cannot protect those spaces anymore."
"The fact that (Jane Doe) had to lose her education and those men were protected by an institution and granted an Ivy League degree as a reward? Never again," she stressed.
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers' taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hochul calls for review of 'horrifying' rape allegations at Cornell
