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(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada           NY's governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell frat rape investigation          To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played       Figure caption,  Cornell students voice frustration at public hearing over rape case       By Sareen Habeshian     Published 2 October 2026, 03:08 BST        Updated 7 hours ago       New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state's attorney general, Letitia James, as a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged gang rape of a woman at Cornell University.  The woman has alleged she was drugged and raped by several men at a fraternity house in 2024. The case was reopened after the woman filed a civil lawsuit last month that thrust the allegations into the national spotlight. "New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I've lost faith in the Tompkins County DA's ability to fairly oversee it," Hochul said. The announcement means District Attorney Matthew Van Houten is no longer overseeing the case. The BBC has contacted Van Houten's office for comment.  He has defended his office's previous decision not to file charges in the case, arguing they were not given enough evidence to meet the legal threshold.  Van Houten reopened the case after the civil lawsuit and said much of the information released in recent weeks about the case was not passed to his office.      (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm0e3ed1er1yo) A 'dark cloud' and 'dismal' mood: How it feels on Cornell campus right now       Published 10 minutes ago             "The young woman at the centre of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued," Hochul said in a statement.  James could prosecute any offences that might be found during her investigation and present evidence to a grand jury, Hochul said. James, who is the state's chief legal officer, (https://x.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/2105814164371349871) said on X, external  that she stood ready "to lead a process guided by the facts and the law". "The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly," James added. Hochul and James are scheduled to provide an update on the investigation on Friday morning local time.      (Governor Kathy Hochul speaks to the media.)    Image source,  Getty Images      The woman at the centre of the case, identified anonymously as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit against the Ivy League university in September. Jane Doe is a placeholder name sometimes used in US law for privacy or anonymity reasons. She alleged that she was drugged and raped by seven men at a fraternity house at the university in 2024. She claimed that Cornell failed to protect her or adequately punish the men, who have now become known as the Cornell Seven.  The case was initially referred to Van Houten, the top prosecutor in the county, in 2024. Van Houten said his office did not bring charges at the time because he had only seen a statement from Doe implying the incident was consensual and that she had not been drugged. This week, his office announced it would be reopening the case - less than two weeks after Doe filed her civil lawsuit. Cornell has said it provided evidence to the district attorney's office from its own investigation, including a Snapchat group chat in which fraternity members discussed a "free" sexual encounter with Doe on the night of the alleged assault. Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, has accused the district attorney of repeatedly changing his story amid news coverage of the case.      Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwxe3t) New York  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c1038wnxe18t) Sexual violence  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c50znx8v122t) Universities  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cx1m7zg01xyt) United States        More on this story (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c699d93j22r5o) Cornell accuser was 'failed' by university healthcare system, lawyer says     Published 16 hours ago          (A long road towards the Cornell University campus is seen on a rainy day)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmpq0r1ljpqwo) What we know about Cornell University frat house rape investigation      Published 15 hours ago          (Exterior of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house showing a white building with mock tudor style black details, in Ithaca, New York, US, September 29, 2026.)                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