New York prosecutors have reopened an investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving a former Cornell University student after she filed a civil lawsuit containing new allegations about the incident.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Monday that a grand jury would review the case to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
The investigation initially concluded in November 2024 without criminal charges being filed. Van Houten said the decision at the time was legally justified based on the evidence available to prosecutors.
“The decision made in November of 2024 that the evidence did not support the filing of criminal charges was legally correct,” Van Houten said.
Civil lawsuit raises new allegations
The former student, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, filed the civil complaint on September 16.
The lawsuit alleges that seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her at the fraternity house in October 2024.
According to the complaint, the fraternity members, who are associated with the Xi Chapter at Cornell, allegedly used a group chat to invite other members to participate in the assault. The lawsuit cites a screenshot of a Snapchat group message as part of its claims.
The seven men named in the civil lawsuit have not been criminally charged. The complaint alleges that they were temporarily suspended.
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Van Houten said the allegations contained in the civil lawsuit were substantially different from the account the woman provided to police during the original investigation.
The grand jury will consider the former student’s testimony as well as evidence raised by the new civil complaint, according to the district attorney.
Police say incident was not reported
The Ithaca Police Department issued a statement Monday saying it was “disturbed” by the allegations involving a Cornell student in October 2024.
The department said it became aware of the allegations only recently through media reports and that the incident had not been reported to the agency at the time.
The reopening of the investigation comes as the civil lawsuit has drawn renewed public attention to the case.
Prosecutors will now review the new allegations and evidence before the grand jury determines whether the available information supports any criminal charges.
