Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced September 28, 2026, that his office has reopened a criminal investigation into a 2024 gang rape allegation at Cornell University. The move follows intense national attention drawn by a civil lawsuit filed earlier that month against Cornell and seven fraternity members.
Tompkins County District Attorney Reopens Grand Jury Review
New York state prosecutors have reversed an earlier decision not to file charges in connection with a 2024 incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten confirmed that he was initiating steps to seek criminal charges against seven alleged perpetrators and would present the case to a grand jury.
The prosecutor defended his initial November 2024 decision to close the inquiry without seeking charges, explaining that the woman identified in the civil complaint as Jane Doe had given a sworn statement to police describing her participation as voluntary, conscious, and consensual. Speaking to the public as outrage mounted over the case, Van Houten noted in a statement that it was clear his office did not and could not base our November 2024 decision on the claims found in a civil lawsuit that would not materialize until nearly two years later.
Even so, the district attorney described the underlying events as vile
and disrespectful to women
while telling NBC News that investigators would examine any fresh evidence zealously. As detailed by NBC News, the grand jury is expected to review the case over a roughly 45-day window, considering both the plaintiff’s testimony and any new materials unearthed by the civil complaint.
Civil Lawsuit Details 2024 Allegations at Chi Phi House
The renewed legal scrutiny stems from a civil lawsuit filed on September 14 by the former student, who was 20 years old at the time of the incident. Jane Doe visited a friend at the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Cornell campus on the evening of October 19, 2024, while intoxicated. The complaint alleges that two fraternity members pressured her into snorting what they claimed was ketamine before sexually assaulting her.
The lawsuit states that one of the men then posted a message on the fraternity’s Snapchat group chat suggesting a woman was available.
Not one of these guys was arrested. Not one.
Thomas P. Giuffra, Attorney for Jane Doe
Legal counsel for the plaintiff reports that his client dropped out of school following the assault and is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for sustained psychological injuries, severe emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
University Disciplinary Actions and Defense From Defense Counsel
In response to the initial complaint filed with university police on November 8, 2024, Cornell conducted an internal investigation involving at least 12 hearings. According to the lawsuit, the school temporarily suspended the accused members while the probe proceeded. Two of the seven accused students were ultimately expelled, while others received lesser sanctions such as suspensions, workshops, or essays, noting that some members were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell.
The Xi chapter of Chi Phi remains barred from the campus.
Cornell issued statements supporting the district attorney’s decision to reopen the criminal review while pushing back against public characterizations of its internal discipline. The university asserted that any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,
adding that a continuation of such false narratives would make survivors feel less safe.
Defense attorneys representing the accused fraternity members have contested the lawsuit’s narrative. Jeremy Saland, an attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar, represents the defendant.