New York Governor Kathy Hochul has officially sidelined Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, appointing Attorney General Letitia James to take over the investigation into a 2024 sexual assault allegation involving a Cornell University fraternity.
The move comes after a civil lawsuit filed by the accuser, known as Jane Doe, brought national scrutiny to the case and raised questions regarding the original handling of the investigation. The allegations involve claims that the woman was drugged and assaulted by seven men at a fraternity house.
Van Houten, who previously declined to press charges, defended his office by claiming he lacked sufficient evidence at the time and that he had been denied access to critical information, including a Snapchat group chat provided by Cornell.
As the case moves to the state level, the Attorney General is now tasked with reviewing the facts and determining if the evidence warrants presenting the matter to a grand jury.
While the Governor claims this intervention is necessary to ensure justice, the shift highlights a growing tension between local law enforcement and state-level political oversight in high-profile campus cases.
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