Woman at centre of Cornell rape inquiry was 'failed' by officials, says New York governor

Figure caption, Hochul: ‘What we learned yesterday raised... troubling questions’.

• Ashamed': Cornell students gather to voice anger over alleged gang rapePublished7 hours ago.

A governadora de Nova York, Kathy Hochul, afirmou que a mulher no centro do caso de estupro da Universidade Cornell foi “falhou” em “cada passo”.

The woman, known as Jane Doe in legal documents, alleges she was drugged and raped by several men at a fraternity house in 2024.

The case was investigated at the time but no charges were laid. It recently reopened after the woman filed a civil lawsuit last month that thrust the allegations into the national spotlight.

Em uma coletiva de imprensa na sexta‑feira, Hochul disse que estava “profundamente perturbada” com a forma como a investigação foi conduzida. Ela agora nomeou a Procuradora Geral de Nova York, Letitia James, para liderar o caso.

This appointment was made after Hochul said she "lost faith" in the local prosecutor's ability to oversee the investigation.

Expressing outrage that local prosecutors did not interview the accuser themselves, Hochul on Friday said: "This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable, and then at every turn she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.

She has also vowed to close a "loophole" that prevents prosecutors from pursuing rape charges in cases when the victim has voluntarily consumed drugs or alcohol.

Jane Doe is believed to have voluntarily taken drugs and alcohol on the night of the alleged gang rape.

Se alguém está tão intoxicado a ponto de não conseguir consentir, não deveria importar se ele escolheu usar drogas ou álcool, disse Hochul, acrescentando: "Intoxicação voluntária não é licença para estupro coletivo.

James, who is the state's chief legal officer, appeared alongside Hochul at Friday's news conference, pledging to "lead a process guided by the facts and the law.

Ela disse que seu escritório entrevistaria testemunhas e buscaria processos se for o caso.

District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who previously led the investigation, has defended his office's previous decision not to file charges in the case, arguing they were not given enough evidence to meet the legal threshold.

Van Houten said much of the information released in recent weeks about the case was not passed to his office.

Em declaração feita na sexta‑feira, ele afirmou apoiar a investigação de James, acrescentando: “It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the university.”.

Cornell has said it provided evidence to the district attorney's office from its own investigation, including a Snapchat group chat in which fraternity members discussed a "free" sexual encounter with Doe on the night of the alleged assault.

Figure caption, Cornell students voice frustration at public hearing over rape case.

Jane Doe entrou com uma ação civil contra a universidade da Ivy League em setembro.

Speaking to CNN on Friday, her lawyer Thomas Giuffra said she is "not doing well.

Ela está sob cerco nas redes sociais, onde as pessoas tentam identificá-la; algumas postagens falsas de tribunais, tentando identificá-la," ele disse.

Survivor and victim advocates say current state law on sexual assault makes it difficult for charges to be brought against perpetrators if the victim voluntarily took drugs or drank alcohol before the alleged assault took place.

A bill to address what Hochul described as a legal loophole was already making its way through the state legislature prior to this week's public outcry over how police and investigators handled the Cornell rape allegations.

If a person goes out with friends and voluntarily consumes alcohol or drugs and becomes intoxicated so they're unable to say no and they're sexually assaulted, that scenario is not covered by the current law," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said this week, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

Hochul disse que apoiará o projeto de lei existente e que ele poderia avançar já na próxima sessão legislativa, que se reabre em janeiro. Como governadora, ela também poderia convocar os legisladores para uma sessão extraordinária antes disso.

O que sabemos sobre a investigação de estupro na casa de fraternidade da Universidade Cornell.

NY's governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell frat rape investigation.