Cornell president calls gang rape allegations 'deeply disturbing'

Cornell University's president has said the institution "must do better" following a civil lawsuit filed in recent weeks alleging a gang rape at a fraternity house in 2024.

In an eight-minute video statement released by Cornell on Saturday, president Michael I. Kotlikoff acknowledged questions over the university's handling of the female student's sexual assault allegations, which were reported to Cornell University police and school officials a few weeks after she said the attack happened.

"I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say. We don't have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves," Kotlikoff said in the statement. "We must do everything we can to prevent what happened to Jane Doe and everyone before her and anyone after her from ever happening again."

Last month, a former Cornell student, identified as "Jane Doe," sued the seven alleged rapists and the university, saying she was drugged and repeatedly raped in October 2024. Attorneys for some of the men have denied the accusations.

Kotlikoff called recent days one of the most difficult weeks in Cornell's history.

"What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," he said. "It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use. It also raises questions around the investigations conducted after the allegations were reported."

Jane Doe first reported her claims to Cornell University police and university Title IX investigators shortly after the alleged incident, which happened when she was 20 years old, at the Chi Phi fraternity house. She also reported the sexual assault to the campus health clinic.

According to the lawsuit filed against Cornell, Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and other defendants, Jane Doe said she consented initially to sexual contact with two men she knew at the fraternity house while intoxicated. She alleges, as the night went on, she was then drugged and raped by multiple men, and could not give consent.

The Tompkins County district attorney declined to file charges. He has said recently he didn't receive full transcripts from Jane Doe's interview with Cornell University police, in which she clearly stated she had been raped.

"As a community, we must foster a culture in which sexual assault is inexcusable and ensure our community is empowered and understands informed consent, body autonomy and prevention. We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe," said Kotlikoff in his video message.

The president weighs in

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed New York State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case and condemned the handling of the investigations. Kotlikoff said he welcomes the governor's decision, and that the university's board of trustees will soon announce plans for an independent review by an outside law firm into all aspects of how the case was handled.

President Trump criticized James' appointment to the Cornell case on Friday, calling the attorney general "corrupt." James' office brought, and won, a financial fraud lawsuit against Trump and his family in 2022.

"I feel badly for whoever she's looking at because they won't get a fair shake," the president told reporters outside of the White House.

On CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Jane Doe's attorney Thomas Giuffra rejected Trump's statements.

"I think to politicize something like this is just wrong," Giuffra said. There are Republicans whose daughters are getting assaulted. There are Democrats whose daughters are getting assaulted. It has nothing to do with politics." 

Giuffra also said his client and other women mistakenly believed to be Jane Doe have received threats.

"They said, 'we're going to shut you up," said Jane Doe's attorney, referring to the people making threats. "'You're going to pull this lawsuit out, or we're going to do something to hurt you even more.'"

In his video statement, Cornell's president vowed to push for change beyond campus.

"We will also lend our full support to legislative efforts to change New York's sexual assault laws. You have my commitment that this will not be a moment that passes," he said.

Kotlikoff added the university would take immediate actions to be more transparent, strengthen sexual assault prevention and education efforts, and substance use resources. He said the university will also take a serious look at the role of sororities and fraternities in campus life.