A newly reported police interview transcript adds detail to a disputed 2024 account that prosecutors say influenced their initial decision not to bring charges.
ITHACA, NY — A former Cornell University student told campus police that she believed she had been raped when she was interviewed more than three weeks after an alleged sexual assault at a fraternity house in 2024, according to a transcript obtained by CBS News New York.
The transcript provides new context as authorities revisit how the allegations were handled. The woman, identified publicly by the pseudonym Jane Doe, has since filed a civil lawsuit alleging that seven students sexually assaulted her at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the criminal investigation this week, nearly two years after his office initially decided not to pursue charges.
Doe’s interview with Cornell University Police began Nov. 14, 2024, and continued the following day, CBS News New York reported. A campus police investigator conducted the questioning, while a Title IX investigator, victim advocate and Doe’s adviser were present during the first day. According to the transcript, Doe discussed drinking and drug use that night and described gaps in her memory. She distinguished between sexual activity earlier in the evening and conduct she said occurred later.
While describing the later events, Doe told the investigator, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” according to the transcript. CBS News New York reported that the investigator prepared a written account during the interview, read it back to Doe and allowed her to clarify or correct it. On the second day, Doe reviewed a revised six-page statement before signing it. CBS News said it has not obtained that final signed statement.
The transcript has become significant because Van Houten has said the signed November 2024 statement was central to his office’s decision not to file criminal charges. He has said the statement provided to prosecutors did not allege that Doe was drugged against her will, forced into sexual activity or incapacitated to the point that she could not consent. Van Houten has also said prosecutors and investigators who reviewed the statement at the time concluded that the facts described in it did not establish a crime under New York law.
Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has disputed the prosecutor’s characterization of what happened and has criticized the investigation. He has said his client was struggling in the aftermath of the alleged assault and that authorities did not adequately follow up with her. The district attorney’s office did not interview Doe directly during its initial review, according to the Associated Press. Van Houten has said his office was never contacted by Doe’s attorneys before the lawsuit was filed to say the original statement was inaccurate or to ask prosecutors to reconsider their decision.
The civil complaint, filed this month, describes allegations that differ substantially from the version Van Houten says prosecutors received in 2024. Doe alleges in the lawsuit that she was pressured into using drugs and alcohol and was sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity while unable to consent. The lawsuit names the alleged participants along with Cornell and other defendants. The allegations in the civil complaint have not been proven in court, and attorneys representing at least two defendants have said their clients deny the allegations.
Cornell separately investigated the allegations through its university disciplinary process. The university has said that investigation lasted several months and resulted in students being disciplined or expelled. Cornell has not publicly identified the individual disciplinary outcomes, citing privacy requirements. The university also barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus. Cornell said this week that it supports the renewed criminal investigation and has defended its response to the allegations.
The case has drawn renewed scrutiny beyond the criminal investigation. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for an independent outside review of Cornell’s handling of the allegations, including its systems for reporting, responding to and preventing sexual assault. The governor’s request came a day after Van Houten announced that his office would revisit the criminal case in light of the allegations contained in Doe’s lawsuit.
Van Houten has said prosecutors intend to examine whether evidence now available changes their assessment of the case and plan to present the matter to a Tompkins County grand jury with Doe’s cooperation. No criminal charges had been announced as of Tuesday, and the renewed investigation remains ongoing.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.