Cornell faces questions over alleged sexual assault case
Fox News correspondent Nate Foy reports on the latest developments in the Cornell University sexual assault allegations, including the ongoing investigation and calls for New York Attorney General Letitia James to transfer the case, on “Special Report.”
The Ithaca Common Council voted late Wednesday to suspend the issuance of city permits to Cornell University and affiliated student organizations, including fraternities, amid widespread criticism of the Ivy League institution’s handling of rape allegations made by a former student.
Following hours of debate, the council approved the moratorium by a 9-1 vote. The temporary measure prevents Cornell from securing new permits for assemblies, parades and special events at the Ithaca Commons, as well as activities that require noise permits. Council members cited public safety concerns.
Many Cornell students and Ithaca residents supported the measure. Some graduate students, however, argued that the restrictions were too broad and could interfere with events unrelated to Greek life.
The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation by a former Cornell student identified as “Jane Doe” stands on the campus of Cornell University on October 7, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
One graduate student cautioned that the moratorium could lead to canceled or postponed events, forfeited deposits, limited venue access and disruptions to conferences.
The moratorium will remain in effect through Nov. 5 unless the council votes to extend it. An amendment also directs Cornell to refer investigations involving sexual and violent crimes to the Ithaca Police Department, although it remains unclear how the requirement will be enforced.
The council’s action follows a September lawsuit filed by the former student, identified as Jane Doe, who accused seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity of drugging and raping her on the night of Oct. 19, 2024, and into the following morning.
According to the lawsuit, Doe arrived at the fraternity house already intoxicated and was later pressured to take ketamine and other substances. The men have denied wrongdoing. Some said the sexual activity was consensual, while others denied taking part.
Students protest on Ho Plaza at Cornell University, Monday, October 5, 2026, in Ithaca, New York, in response to an alleged sexual assault in 2024. (Richard Beetham for News Outlet)
The fraternity was suspended on Nov. 8, 2024, the same day Doe reported the alleged sexual assault to campus police, according to her civil complaint.
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Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to pursue criminal charges. He has said Doe’s sworn statement from November 2024 did not claim that she had been drugged against her will or gang-raped. Instead, he said, the statement characterized her drug use and sexual activity as “voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”
However, CBS New York obtained transcripts of Cornell police interviews with Doe conducted on Nov. 14 and 15, 2024. During those interviews, she told investigators, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.”
Van Houten said he had not received the complete transcript. Late last month, he announced that his office was reopening the case after finding that the allegations in Doe’s lawsuit differed from the account in her sworn statement nearly two years earlier.
Thousands of Cornell University students and others from the Cornell community fill Ho Plaza for the Justice for Survivors protest hosted by 20 student organizations Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Matt Burkhartt/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, said Cornell police gave her the impression that the criminal investigation was still active. That occurred even though Van Houten had decided not to file charges days after she first spoke with investigators.
Van Houten has said he directed Cornell police to tell Doe that prosecutors would not pursue charges. He also acknowledged that he never spoke directly with Doe or her attorney.
Gov. Kathy Hochul effectively removed the investigation from Van Houten’s jurisdiction on Oct. 1, when she appointed Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor in the case.
“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024,” Hochul said in a statement.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James during a news conference in New York on Oct. 2, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She added: “This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public’s faith, in the District Attorney’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time.”
On Wednesday, one of the men named in Jane Doe’s lawsuit petitioned a court to remove James from the case, accusing her of bias over a social media post she made days before her appointment in which she called what Doe allegedly endured “horrific and unacceptable,” The Associated Press reported.
