Van Houten said he was unaware that Jane Doe allegedly made that remark to campus police, adding that the allegation was not included in the written statement that Cornell police provided to his office in November 2024.
In light of the revelations, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang-raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house, and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?”
“She spoke to the police. She sat for hours and told them exactly what happened to her and according to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped,” she said. “Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors. The attorney general then declined to pursue charges after reviewing that incomplete account and never interviewing her.”
Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James to take over the investigation. As governor of New York, Hochul is by default a member of the board of trustees at Cornell.
Jane Doe’s attorney has argued that she was failed by authorities who did not conduct a thorough investigation.
Sally Yates, the former deputy U.S. attorney general and acting U.S. attorney general, is leading an independent review of how the university responded to the allegations and, more broadly, how it responds to sexual harassment, assault and misconduct on campus.
That probe will include looking into the role and response of campus police and its coordination with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN’s online chat service at rainn.org/get-help.
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