A high-profile lawsuit has pushed a 2024 Cornell fraternity case back into the criminal spotlight, ABC News reports. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten says his office is reopening its investigation into an alleged gang rape at the New York university's Chi Phi chapter and plans to take the matter to a grand jury with the accuser's cooperation. He notes the new civil complaint describes events "dramatically different" from the woman's initial account to police, which he says did not claim she was drugged or that she withheld consent.
The woman's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, disputes that characterization and criticizes both the Cornell University Police Department and the DA's office for not conducting a more thorough probe, saying key group chat messages allegedly showing frat members discussing the crime were given to authorities in 2024 and ignored. Van Houten acknowledges he relied on Cornell police and did not conduct an independent investigation at the time.
Cornell says it handled the case through its internal processes, keeping details confidential under federal privacy law, and its Chi Phi chapter remains banned from campus. At least one defendant's lawyer flatly denies any assault occurred and says he looks forward to challenging the accuser in court. The Cornell Sun editorial board recently named the seven men included in the group chat. Per People, two of them were ultimately expelled, and lesser punishments were doled out to the rest.
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