US prosecutors reopen case of alleged gang rape at Cornell University - BBC News                            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5wyzrm0n74ro)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5wyzrm0n74ro)  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5wyzrm0n74ro)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5wyzrm0n74ro)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-36.413a37b227.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-48.010dc96bcf.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-57.1fcd0dc805.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-60.52f68a148f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-72.f155fdb25f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-76.cb5ee392d4.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-96.35ee2d1e20.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-114.7ccdf53cba.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-120.73e20442a9.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-128.060d346f09.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-144.e08bc23631.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-152.4de1981be0.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-180.1a18cb7b72.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-192.3ac042fa43.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-384.728e3a03d3.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-512.685da29e9e.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-16.8a240ceacc.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-32.5cf4e6db02.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/manifest.11b0cb15658c4719a2c19e25644577223adaa7b2.json)   (https://www.bbc.com)   BBC Homepage    (c5wyzrm0n74ro@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#main-heading) Skip to content  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) Accessibility Help          (https://account.bbc.com/account?lang=en-GB&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fc5wyzrm0n74ro)    Your account       (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (c5wyzrm0n74ro@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)    More menu     (c5wyzrm0n74ro@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)   More menu    (https://www.bbc.com/search?d=NEWS_GNL)    Search BBC      (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (c5wyzrm0n74ro@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#more-menu-button)   Close menu          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)   BBC News      (c5wyzrm0n74ro@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-menu)    Menu  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news) Home   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt) Climate   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk) UK   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business) Business   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology) Tech   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment_and_arts) Entertainment & Arts   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health) Health     (c5wyzrm0n74ro@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-more-menu)    More     (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in_pictures) In Pictures   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bbcverify) BBC Verify   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat) Newsbeat         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada           US prosecutors reopen case of alleged gang rape at Cornell University          To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played       Figure caption,  Watch: Why an investigation into alleged frat house gang rape is reopening       By Kayla Epstein     Published 4 hours ago           New York state prosecutors say they will reopen a criminal inquiry into the alleged rape of a woman at Cornell University in 2024.  The woman filed a civil lawsuit on 16 September alleging she was drugged and raped by multiple people at a fraternity house at the university. "Once we determine the appropriate charges, the case will be prosecuted in the most objective and impartial means possible" through a grand jury, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Monday. Cornell University said that while it supported the case being brought before a grand jury, "any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false". The woman, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges in her lawsuit that on the night of 19 October 2024, seven men from Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity chapter allegedly assaulted her in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine.  Jane Doe said in her lawsuit that she was intoxicated during the alleged incident and was incapable of providing consent. She said she reported the incident to Cornell University Police on 8 November 2024.  The lawsuit also contains an image purported to be from a Snapchat fraternity group chat, in which a participant alerted other members, in vulgar terms, to the potential for a sexual encounter with Jane Doe. Van Houten said on Monday that at the time of the assault two years ago, his office concluded that evidence from her statement to authorities did not meet the legal threshold to bring charges. He said he reached out to Jane Doe and her lawyers for more information as he prepared to bring the case to a grand jury. In the US legal system, prosecutors convene grand juries to weigh evidence and testimony and eventually vote on whether they merit criminal charges. In his statement, Van Houten included a summary of what Jane Doe told the Cornell University Police Department in 2024 after the alleged attack. He noted the statement differed from the allegations laid out in the lawsuit. "Jane Doe's sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped," Van Houten said in a statement on Monday. "On the contrary, Jane Doe's statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual." Van Houten added that Jane Doe's lawyers had never been in touch with him to say her original statement was inaccurate or to ask him to reconsider his decision not to bring charges. He later acknowledged "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". The BBC has contacted Jane Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra. In a statement on Monday obtained by CBS, the BBC's US partner, he said: "In the days following the assault, [Jane Doe] was traumatised, numb and unable to function or accept the horror of what had happened. She was in self-preservation mode." Giuffra said Jane Doe never spoke to anyone other than the officer who took her initial complaint, adding: "I would have expected at the very least that she would have been interviewed several times and evidence collected by law enforcement and a case developed. This is the normal sequence for serious crime investigations." "The defensive posture I have gleaned from the DA's statements leads me to believe that they recognise that there were failures and they are trying to excuse them," he said. Jane Doe also alleged in her civil lawsuit that Cornell did not protect her nor adequately punish the men involved, alleging they were "afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays".  Jane Doe suffered "severe emotional and psychological distress and personal physical injury" due to the incident and the university's handling, the suit states, adding that news of the incident quickly circulated through the school.  In November 2024, Cornell University issued a public statement regarding the "serious and deeply disturbing allegations of drug abuse and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house", saying its campus police department was investigating and that it had suspended the local chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity, as well as "a number of students." Cornell also said it had opened an internal investigation as well as a civil rights inquiry under the Title IX law - which bars sex discrimination in schools that receive funding from the federal government, including most universities. On Monday, the university disputed Jane Doe's allegation that it did not adequately investigate or punish the alleged perpetrators. The university said in a statement that the matter was referred to a "panel of trained faculty and staff" that issued "a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell". "None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement," Cornell said. Jeremy Saland, an attorney for one of the men named in the lawsuit, denied the allegations. Saland acknowledged his client "responded to and made an immature comment on Snapchat", but "did nothing else." Saland denied his client "was involved in no sexual activity nor touched the plaintiff in any way and ingested no ketamine". The case has received national attention following Doe's lawsuit and the announcement the case would be reopened. Several celebrities, including actress Florence Pugh, have spoken out about it.  If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at  (https://befrienders.org/) Befrienders Worldwide. , external   A list of UK organisations that can help is available  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline) here.       Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwxe3t) New York  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cx1m7zg01xyt) United States           (vertical video collection) The video playlist   Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC      Previous     Next         0:52 RAF Fairford suspects released on bail. 00:00:52, play video RAF Fairford suspects released on bail    (Laurence Taylor wearing a navy blue suit and holding a folder)           1:21 Why is an Orange Order march being blocked in NI? 00:01:21, play video Why is an Orange Order march being blocked in NI?    (Crowds of people block the Garvaghy Road in Northern Ireland.)           1:25 Here's how record UK diesel prices could get worse. 00:01:25, play video Here's how record UK diesel prices could get worse    (Faisal Islam)           1:04 Gamer gran named world's oldest female Fortnite streamer. 00:01:04, play video Gamer gran named world's oldest female Fortnite streamer    (A woman wearing a purple headset and a yellow blouse talks to the camera)           1:03 What's next for Man City? 00:01:03, play video What's next for Man City?    (A picture inside Manchester City football stadium. The stands are empty and so is the pitch. The word "City" is visible, spelt out in giant letters formed of white seats in the background.)           1:32 Were the RAF Fairford arrests 'pure luck'? 00:01:32, play video Were the RAF Fairford arrests 'pure luck'?    (Aerial pictures showed a remote-controlled robot approaching stationary white vans in a wooded area)           1:03 'I saw masked men,' farmer who called 999 says. 00:01:03, play video 'I saw masked men,' farmer who called 999 says    (A police car blocks a road near the RAF Fairford airbase)           1:07 Defence secretary thanks farmer who called police. 00:01:07, play video Defence secretary thanks farmer who called police    (Defence Secretary Wes Streeting looks directly into the camera. He has short dark hair. He is is wearing a white shirt, a navy blue tie with narrow red diagonal stripes and a navy suit jacket.)           0:54 Is Burnham's leadership just about 'good vibes'? 00:00:54, play video Is Burnham's leadership just about 'good vibes'?    (Young woman at Labour Party conference)           0:54 'I quit my job to find badly built new homes' 00:00:54, play video 'I quit my job to find badly built new homes'    (John Cooper has a black and grey buzzcut and is wearing a grey T-shirt.)           0:55 How much is in your savings account? 00:00:55, play video How much is in your savings account?    (A woman in a pink dress and black jacket speak to a microphone)           1:17 Save or overpay? The mortgage payer's dilemma. 00:01:17, play video Save or overpay? The mortgage payer's dilemma    (A man wearing headphones talks into a microphone)           0:29 Why Madonna sent Sabrina Carpenter a DM. 00:00:29, play video Why Madonna sent Sabrina Carpenter a DM    (Why Madonna sent Sabrina Carpenter a DM)           1:14 In-car breathalysers that can stop drink drivers. 00:01:14, play video In-car breathalysers that can stop drink drivers    (A man blowing into a device set inside a car)           1:57 What to think about when buying travel insurance. 00:01:57, play video What to think about when buying travel insurance    (A man walking with a suitcase)           1:11 Stalemate continues as police prevent Orange Order march. 00:01:11, play video Stalemate continues as police prevent Orange Order march    (An Orange Order member talking to a police officer wearing a black suit, black hat and an orange sash. The rest of the lodge members are behind him with the church in the background. The police man is wearing a black and white checked hat with a black coat with green PSNI lapels.)           1:31 Highs and low of SpaceX's Starship test flights. 00:01:31, play video Highs and low of SpaceX's Starship test flights    (A SpaceX 'chopsticks' landing)           0:56 PM proposes NHS style social care system for England. 00:00:56, play video PM proposes NHS style social care system for England    (A female nurse helping an elderly woman walk)               Top stories (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6e9elmpvglno) Five men arrested in RAF Fairford incident released on police bail     Published 3 hours ago            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cw33kxk3707jo) Watch: RAF Fairford suspects are bailed, what happens now?     Published 2 hours ago            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmx2z3vgy5xwo) UK tries to stop Trump's diesel export ban     Published 1 hour ago                More to explore (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmn0jey2dde7o) How to find your perfect pillow - according to an expert      (Person lying on their side on a padded treatment table with their head resting on a foam pillow. The person is wearing a checked button-up shirt and a wristwatch, with arms folded across the torso. The pillow is positioned on a folded towel. The window blinds in the background are drawn.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9kgvjkmrdvko) Wayne and Coleen Rooney climb Wales' highest mountain      (Wayne and Coleen in selfie at the summit in wet and windy weather with hair wet and rain on sunglasses. They are pictured with a friend and a dog behind them.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqvgy09kep21o) You need £17,000 for a first home - here's how to save it      (A youn woman sits on teh floor in her new home surrounded by moving in boxes)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8ly403p1rwpo) Taylor Swift breaks record for most MTV VMAs as Madonna also wins      (Taylor Swift and Madonna embrace while looking into the camera at the MTV VMA awards as the audience looks on)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crd689de186jo) My hometown shows that high streets have to change or die      (A treated image of shops on Union Street, Aberdeen, Scotland)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqwyzrg7xm2zo) British chess prodigy, 11, becomes youngest woman grandmaster      (Bodhana Sivanandan pictured playing a chess piece on a chess board.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cw3d77ne44k5o) The four 'what next?' scenarios for Premier League after Man City ruling      (A picture of the outside of the Etihad Stadium and the words "Welcome to Manchester City")         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv5yjzz803edo) Celebrity Traitors 2 cast: Who are this year's 'big dogs' and dark horses?      (Bella Ramsey, Richard E. Grant and Romesh Ranganathan)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsletters/zgmn46f) US Politics Unspun: Cut through the noise with Anthony Zurcher's newsletter      (A cut of of Anthony Zurcher wearing a suit and tie in front of a red, black, grey and blue graphic background featuring the US Capitol Building)             Elsewhere on the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00292v7?at_mid=eaqnph39m4&at_campaign=This_City_Is_Ours&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=m0028mhs&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=This_City_Is_Ours&at_bbc_team=BBC) Watch every gripping episode of This City Is Ours before it returns        (This City Is Ours)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct9bcg?at_mid=YhXdW0uNH6&at_campaign=Good_Bad_Billionaire_Nelson_Peltz&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p0g7xj36&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Good_Bad_Billionaire_Nelson_Peltz&at_bbc_team=BBC) How Brooklyn Beckham's father-in-law made his fortune        (Good Bad Billionaire)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002zl78?at_mid=zr5TRh4nVz&at_campaign=Marble_Hall_Murders&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=m002zl76&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Marble_Hall_Murders&at_bbc_team=BBC) Lesley Manville stars in the final instalment of a mystery trilogy        (Marble Hall Murders)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct8t1b?at_mid=v1cr2dMl32&at_campaign=People_Fixing_the_World_Nappies_Games_Desks&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p04d42vf&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=People_Fixing_the_World_Nappies_Games_Desks&at_bbc_team=BBC) From nappies to desks: The clever ways you can cut waste and recycle        (People Fixing the World: Nappies, games and desks)            Most read 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmx2z3vgy5xwo) UK tries to stop Trump's diesel export ban       2 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6j9xk474wxgo) Russian foreign minister questions 'what will become of UK' and future of 'the Celts'        3 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6e9elmpvglno) Five men arrested in RAF Fairford incident released on police bail       4 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckjw5egyexz8o) Slipknot fans hit back after Marilyn Manson announced as support act for UK show        5 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmz7zxdy4gllo) Mahmood signals rethink on migrants' right to remain       6 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6dj4vkwg8j0o) Aldi boss says some of rivals' loyalty discounts 'dupe' customers       7 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crn45ed1kqqgo) Iran court upholds lashes sentence for singer who performed without hijab       8 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqwyzrg7xm2zo) British chess prodigy, 11, becomes youngest woman grandmaster       9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmn0jey2dde7o) How to find your perfect pillow - according to an expert       10 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3x2zw18ge59o) Best thing we can offer young people is a job, not benefits, says chancellor               BBC News Services  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628994)    On your mobile  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-50068132)    On smart speakers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628323)    Get news alerts  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682)    Contact BBC News     (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms) Terms of Use  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc) About the BBC  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/privacy) Privacy Policy  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies) Cookies  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility) Accessibility Help  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/guidance) Parental Guidance  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact) Contact the BBC  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers) Careers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter) BBC emails for you  (https://www.bbc.com/advertisingcontact/) Advertise with us    Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/links-and-feeds) Read about our approach to external linking.         ()