Public outcry over Cornell rape case is getting louder

 

Widespread criticism and accusations of investigative mishandling are mounting against Cornell University and its local officials this week, after a former student filed a lawsuit as Jane Doe accusing seven university fraternity members of gang-raping her two years ago after pressuring her to take drugs.

Online uproar over the alleged assault began last week, after the university’s independent student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, reported on the lawsuit, which alleges that Cornell temporarily suspended the defendants in 2024 and gave them the chance to write essays to lessen their punishments.

Since then…

  • Local District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced on Monday that he reopened the case and is considering seeking criminal charges. He said his office didn’t do so in 2024 because it believed Jane Doe’s sworn statement described consensual actions.
  • CBS then reported that it obtained a transcript of Jane Doe’s initial interview with campus police, in which she told them “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” Van Houten told CBS he never saw that transcript, while Cornell said its police department “shared all investigatory information” with the DA.
  • Yesterday, the New York Attorney General’s office said it would review Cornell’s handling of the case.

Zoom out: USA Today reported that Cornell rarely expels students accused of sexual violence, which experts say reflects a nationwide trend on campuses. The Cornell case has also prompted renewed scrutiny of what critics call a “voluntary intoxication loophole” that makes it harder to prosecute some rape cases in 19 states, including NY.—ML

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