New York attorney general to lead Cornell rape case inquiry as governor appoints special prosecutor
New York's attorney general is investigating Cornell University's handling of an alleged gang rape, and the governor has appointed a special prosecutor to review possible criminal charges.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Cornell University is under investigation by New York's attorney general over how it handled an alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The case has also led the state governor to appoint a special prosecutor to examine possible criminal charges, after the alleged victim filed a civil lawsuit and no criminal charges were brought.
At a student town hall on Cornell's campus, there was anger and disappointment. One person said, "We're absolutely ashamed of the events that happened on our campus." Students said they wanted to know that when sexual violence occurs there is accountability.
The civil lawsuit was filed by an anonymous woman referred to as Jane Doe. She says she arrived at the Chi Phi fraternity house visibly intoxicated and incapable of consenting to sex. She says she was pressured into snorting ketamine, doing other drugs and drinking alcohol before being sexually assaulted and subject to gang rape for hours. Her complaint includes messages from a Chi Phi Snapchat group with more than 50 members. One of the accused said she was upstairs for free sex. Another fraternity brother later wrote, "Shop still open."
The report says Jane Doe initially stayed in contact with one of the alleged perpetrators on familiar terms. Three weeks later she went to university police and told them she was 100 percent confident she was raped. Some of the men have denied the allegations.
What happened next has sparked outrage. Two men were expelled and others received lesser punishments. The district attorney determined criminal charges were not warranted based solely on a statement by Jane Doe that Cornell gave to him. The report described the situation as morally reprehensible, but said the statement did not specifically address whether Jane Doe could have consented or was consenting.
New York's governor said she had lost faith in those involved and was appointing a special prosecutor to take over and look at potential criminal charges. She said: "No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice. No public official gets to look the other way when the system breaks down and fails our young people. And as governor I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug."
Cornell said in a statement that it was committed to an independent external review.
The case has ignited national outrage and sparked international discussion about campus safety, culture and consent. Even after attention moved away two years ago, student journalists kept pushing for answers. As more revelations came to light, tension and frustration on campus became palpable. One student said, "I'm very disgusted to be here, to be paying this institution. Something like this never should have happened. This is a disgrace and I feel ashamed to be here." Students are planning protests next week to make sure the case does not slip out of the spotlight again.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| New York prosecutors reopened an investigation into seven Cornell fraternity members accused of gang rape after criticism of how the case was handled. | ||
| The New York attorney general will lead an inquiry into Cornell University following a civil lawsuit filed by an alleged victim. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Cornell University said it was committed to an independent external review. | Not reported by BBC One | |
| Prosecutors had previously determined that criminal charges were not appropriate in the case. | Not reported by BBC News | |
| The accuser's attorney said two of the seven alleged attackers were expelled while others received lesser punishment including essay writing. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
It carried the same detailed Cornell report as the other BBC outlet, focusing on the alleged victim's civil lawsuit, the lack of criminal charges and the governor's appointment of a special prosecutor. Its bulletin placed the Cornell story alongside unrelated coverage of an Indian pilot and a Green Party conference, but the Cornell segment itself kept the focus on campus anger and planned student protests.
- “We're absolutely ashamed of the events that happened on our campus.”
- “No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice.”
- “This is a disgrace and I feel ashamed to be here.”
Its coverage was a straight version of the same Cornell report, leading with the attorney general inquiry and giving significant space to the civil lawsuit's graphic allegations and the governor's decision to appoint a special prosecutor. The bulletin did not add wider context beyond the case, apart from a brief later item about an Indian pilot.
- “We deserve to know that when sexual violence occurs there is accountability.”
- “And as governor I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug.”
- “Students are now planning protests next week to make sure this case doesn't slip out of the spotlight once again.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.