Cornell says ex-US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates will investigate school’s response to Jane Doe’s rape allegations

CNN, WSTM, MEGAN ZEREZ , ITHACA VOICE, NY OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, Megan Zerez / Ithaca Voice

By Gloria Pazmino, Maria Sole Campinoti, Holly Yan, Hanna Park, CNN

Ithaca, New York (CNN) — A former Justice Department official will delve into Cornell University’s response to a student’s allegations of gang rape as outrage over the case echoes across the country – from sexual abuse survivors to students on campus and now to the school’s president.

Former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates will lead an independent review of how Cornell “prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus,” the university said Tuesday.

That review will include “whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures in responding to” sexual assault allegations brought by a student, known as Jane Doe, against members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024, the university said.

An attorney for one of the students named in Doe’s lawsuit on Tuesday said he and his client “welcome” the decision to have an independent review of Cornell University’s handling of the sexual assault investigation.

“We think an independent review is appropriate. Sally Yates has tremendous experience as a prosecutor and investigator, and she and her team should have access to the full record and the freedom to follow the facts wherever they lead,” Andrew Miltenberg said in a statement to CNN.

He added that the university should be held to the same standard it expects of students.

“We support the review and hope it provides an objective assessment of what happened and, where appropriate, what Cornell can do better. At the end of the day, the facts should speak for themselves,” Miltenberg said.

The announcement came after members of Cornell’s Faculty Senate introduced a resolution Monday evening calling for a vote of no confidence against the administration. A vote of no confidence is a formal rebuke of a group’s leadership – and often an attempt to force change or compel resignations.

“The faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something,” labor history professor and Faculty Senate member Paul Ortiz told CNN. Some of the students who have approached faculty said they had endured sexual assault, Ortiz said.

“We’re tired of the sexual assaults that happened to our students,” he said. “We’re tired of the administration’s inaction on this issue – and not only our current students, but past students, alumni who have actually given money to this university are fed up.”

Students and community members rallied through streets in Ithaca on Monday evening, chanting “shame” and “resign” after details of the rape allegations came to light in a recently filed civil lawsuit from the former student, known as Jane Doe.

Some groups are also planning to host a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” according to social media flyers for the event.

The lawsuit Doe filed last month against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and others alleges the school failed to protect her and adequately punish the accused students.

The ensuing fallout has raised questions about how Cornell police handled Jane Doe’s allegations, how much information was shared with the district attorney’s office, the prosecutors’ initial decision not to file charges, and whether the school’s internal investigation and actions went far enough.

Here’s the latest:

• New York AG’s office close to naming lawyers to handle investigation: The New York Attorney General’s office has spoken to several candidates for outside counsel to support the investigation into sexual assault allegations at Cornell University, officials close to the investigation said Tuesday. The New York attorney general’s criminal authority is limited by law to investigate police-related deaths, financial crimes, and organized crime, and it does not have a history of investigating sex-based crimes. However, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order empowering the attorney general with criminal authority to investigate the allegations at Cornell, power to present to a grand jury, and ultimately bring charges, if warranted.

• “We’re all angry,” Cornell president says: During a meeting with Cornell’s Graduate and Professional Student Assembly on Monday, university President Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged the mounting frustration across campus as more details and questions emerge about Doe’s 2024 allegations. “We’re all angry. I understand that anger,” Kotlikoff said, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. “People want easy answers to this.” The president previously released a video statement promising further review and answers, saying Doe’s case highlights “heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use.”
• Faculty move closer to no-confidence vote: A resolution was submitted Monday evening to a university faculty committee, which will review the measure before it’s added to the Faculty Senate’s meeting agenda for October 14, Ortiz said. The Senate is Cornell’s main legislative advisory and review body, with more than 75 members representing the university’s faculty. So far, about 40 senators have supported a resolution to take a vote of no confidence, Ortiz said. CNN has reached out to Cornell officials for comment.
• Protesters support Doe: Professors joined students at Monday’s rally, where demonstrators held signs reading “Justice for every Jane Doe” and “Cornell admin betrays survivors resign now.” Professor Julia Chang said she supported student protesters. “They say Cornell has a rape culture, and I don’t disagree,” Chang said. “But this statement can make rape sound inevitable. Rape should not be inevitable.”
• Survivors of sexual violence are reaching out for help in near-record numbers: Over the past week, calls to the National Sexual Assault Hotline are up 73%, and there were more than double the normal number of calls on Monday alone, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which operates the hotline. Many of those contacting the hotline say they were prompted to call as a direct result of reading about Doe’s case, the organization’s president, Scott Berkowitz, said. “We admire, and are so grateful for, Jane Doe’s courage. RAINN stands with her, as do millions of survivors and supporters across the country,” Berkowitz said.
• Vandals damage administration building: Earlier Monday, activists smashed a glass door and painted messages, including “smash the patriarchy,” on the walls of the administration building on campus, The Cornell Daily Sun reported. The vandalism is under investigation, the school said.

• Letters to wireless carriers: Newly obtained documents show Cornell police drafted letters to wireless carriers related to “investigating a sexual assault incident” about a week after Doe first reported the alleged assault to university police and drafted letters to Verizon and T-Mobile asking them to “preserve all available data,” including texts, calls, and picture and video messages associated with accounts that “may contain evidence pertinent to the ongoing investigation.” It’s not clear whether investigators ever sent the requests, followed up with subpoenas, or whether Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten was aware of them. Van Houten has said his office only received from police a six-page statement signed by Doe and Snapchat screenshots. CNN has asked the carriers whether they received the requests from Cornell and if they complied.
• Accused student hires high-profile defense attorney: Teny Geragos, whose law firm has represented disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been hired by one of the male students involved in the investigation, a source told CNN Monday. It’s not clear which student Geragos is representing. The men named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing. The New York Times reported four of the fraternity members acknowledged having sexual contact with Doe but said it was consensual. Three others said they did not have sexual contact with her.
• State attorney general takes over the case: Days after Van Houten reopened the investigation, Hochul said she had “lost faith” in the district attorney’s ability to handle the case and appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to take over as a special prosecutor. The state attorney general’s office, which does not have a history of investigating sex-related crimes, has reached out to experienced attorneys outside the office to bolster its investigative team, people familiar with the matter told CNN.

• Doe’s attorney expresses confidence in James: Thomas Giuffra told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday he had an initial call with James’ office last week and believes the investigation will be handled fairly, with a new set of eyes on evidence Doe’s team has collected – including recordings of calls between her and some of the accused, as well as emailed apologies. Giuffra said he believes other photos and videos related to the alleged assault existed but may have been destroyed. He added it is even possible more people were involved: “We will never know because of such an inadequate investigation that was done.”
• Prosecutors refused additional evidence: The Tompkins County district attorney’s office — which handled the 2024 criminal investigation — declined at the time to review additional evidence, including more interviews gathered by the campus police department, beyond a six-page statement signed by Doe, according to records obtained by The New York Times. Prosecutors did not express interest in the additional evidence because they had decided, based on Doe’s statement, that “criminal charges would not be pursued in this case,” a Cornell police investigator wrote in a note documenting the call, according to the Times.
• Doe receiving threats: Doe is dealing with threats and attempts to reveal her identity, Giuffra said, adding that he himself received a threat Sunday morning.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Kara Scannell, Taylor Galgano, Danya Gainor, Isa Mudannayake and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.