Cornell brings in ex-Justice official Sally Yates to review school’s
handling of sex assault claims
[October 07, 2026]
By LEAH WILLINGHAM and JENNIFER PELTZ
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — A former high-ranking Department of Justice official
will look at how Cornell handles sexual misconduct complaints,
university trustees announced Tuesday as they tried to address an
outpouring of anger over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a fraternity
house.
Sally Yates, who was a deputy attorney general in the Obama
administration, will spearhead the review, the trustees said. The
assessment is to include how the Ivy League university investigates
reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment, how the disciplinary
process works, campus police responses and more.
“It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the
same rigor we expect of others," trustee Chair Anne Meinig Smalling said
in a statement.
The announcement comes after days of outrage and a large protest over
Cornell’s response to a complaint from a woman known publicly only as
Jane Doe. She told campus police in November 2024 that, a few weeks
earlier, she had been sexually assaulted by multiple Chi Phi fraternity
brothers after being pressured into drinking and taking drugs.
No criminal charges have been filed. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell was
shut down, and the Ivy League university has said it expelled some
students and suspended others.
Yates will look at how the woman's complaint was addressed and at the
oversight of fraternities, sororities and other campus groups, Cornell
said.
The woman sued the university, seven former students, the fraternity and
others last month.
Lawyers for two of the former students denied they participated in a
sexual assault. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men
or their representatives have been unsuccessful. Court records show that
during an investigation that Cornell conducted under the federal Title
IX law, some of the accused students contended that the sexual activity
was consensual.
The lawsuit put a new, nationwide spotlight on the allegations and how
the campus police, university and local prosecutor had reacted.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is now conducting a criminal
investigation and may soon name outside lawyers to assist. Meanwhile,
her deputies have spoken with Jane Doe's attorney and the local
prosecutor, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. James
also talked to him herself, her office said Tuesday.
Van Houten looked into the allegations in 2024 and brought no charges —
then reopened his office’s investigation after seeing Jane Doe's
lawsuit. After Gov. Kathy Hochul put James on the case last week, Van
Houten said he supported the appointment.
[to top of second column]
|
Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates speaks at Harvard
University in Cambridge, Mass., May 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Steven Senne,
File)
Hochul, James and Van Houten are all Democrats.
The governor also called for an independent review of Cornell’s
handling of the matter — the review that Yates now will lead.
Yates had a decades-long career at the Justice Department, serving
for years as the top federal prosecutor in Atlanta and later as a
deputy attorney general.
She achieved particular prominence in January 2017 when, as acting
attorney general in the early days of the Trump administration, she
directed Justice Department attorneys not to defend the
constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s refugee and
immigration ban. She was swiftly fired, with Trump accusing her of
betrayal and insubordination.
Yates also generated headlines when it emerged that, in a
conversation days before her departure, she had expressed alarm to
the Trump White House about contacts that Trump’s new national
security adviser, Michael Flynn, had had with the Russian ambassador
during the presidential transition period. Flynn later was fired.
Yates has been in private practice since her departure from the
Justice Department. Her practice at the King & Spalding law firm
includes conducting independent investigations for outside
organizations and companies.
She led a high-profile inquiry into alleged abuse and misconduct,
including claims of harassment and coercion, at the National Women’s
Soccer League. The investigation concluded in 2022 with a finding of
systemic abuse.
___
Peltz reported from New York. Associated Press writers Michael Sisak
in New York and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
