Cornell Rape Case: Accuser’s Lawyer Criticizes Investigation

Attorney Claims Cornell and Police Failed Rape Victim

The legal representative of a former Cornell University student, who alleges she was gang-raped in 2024 after being pressured to take ketamine, has condemned the initial investigations conducted by both law enforcement and the university.

Thomas P. Giuffra, the attorney, expressed his concerns during an interview with NBC News on Monday, stating, “She was a young woman who went to Cornell with high hopes, thought that this was her dream come true, and then that didn’t happen. Now she’s not in college. She’s not pursuing her goals, and she’s just trying to hang on.”

Victim’s Statement on Trauma

In a statement released on Monday, the woman, referred to as Jane Doe, shared her ongoing struggle with trauma: “I hope to recover from this trauma but it is extremely difficult. It affects every aspect of my life. It will haunt me and be part of me the rest of my life.”

Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Fraternity

Doe has filed a civil lawsuit this month, alleging that members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her, with one member allegedly encouraging others to join the assault. Although the fraternity chapter was banned from campus, no criminal charges have been filed against any individuals involved. The lawsuit claims that some students were allowed to mitigate their actions by submitting essays to the university.

In response to the lawsuit, Kyle Kimball, Cornell’s vice president for university relations, stated, “Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false.”

Reopening of Criminal Investigation

Following the civil lawsuit, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced that he would reopen the case to explore potential criminal charges related to the 2024 allegations. The university expressed support for Van Houten’s decision to present the case to a criminal grand jury.

“Now that this lawsuit has been filed, that raises the question that Jane Doe believes there’s additional evidence,” Van Houten explained. “We want to talk to her. We want to flesh out with her what that additional evidence is.”

Van Houten emphasized his commitment to pursuing any new evidence, stating, “We understand that with human beings, especially processing trauma, it takes time sometimes to fully grasp and understand and process something that happened to you, and so we recognize that even though it’s been two years and we haven’t heard from her since then or her attorneys, that it’s never too late to reopen and pursue justice when there is additional evidence.”

Initial Police Response Criticized

Giuffra revealed that his client reported the alleged assault to the Cornell University Police Department but only spoke with the initial officer who took her report. He criticized the university police for not following up on crucial evidence, including a group chat among the alleged assailants.

“That available evidence was there. They could have utilized it,” Giuffra stated. “What they should have done is investigated who was on that group chat and interviewed witnesses and developed evidence. That’s what investigators do, and that was not done at all.”

The Ithaca Police Department is currently investigating the allegations as indicated in the civil lawsuit, but they did not respond to inquiries regarding their involvement. Cornell’s police department referred NBC News to previous statements defending their handling of the allegations.

Fraternity Members Named in Lawsuit

The lawsuit names seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, including Scott Kretzschmar, whose attorney has strongly denied the allegations. Attorney Jeremy Saland stated, “The lawsuit against Scott Kretzschmar is not only intentionally dishonest but morally repugnant. While Scott responded to and made an immature comment on Snapchat, he did nothing else. Nothing.”

Attempts to reach the other six individuals named in the lawsuit were unsuccessful, as NBC News did not receive responses from them.

This report was originally published by NBC News, with contributions from Abigail Brooks, Adam Reiss, and Alicia Victoria Lozano.

Source Reference (today.com): Cornell Rape Accuser’s Attorney Says the School and Law Enforcement Failed a Young Woman