New York Attorney General Letitia James announced veteran prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly as the outside counsel to lead a fair and in-depth criminal investigation into the alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024. As outside counsel, Kelly will spearhead an investigative team of attorneys and staff from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner.
“The Office of the Attorney General is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law,” said James. “Jacqueline Kelly is a seasoned prosecutor who has overseen numerous cases from investigation through trial. With her criminal legal expertise, commitment to public service, and judicial experience, I am confident that she will lead a fair and comprehensive investigation.”
Kelly and her team will report to OAG throughout the investigation. Kelly’s team will gather and review evidence, review previous materials, conduct witness interviews, and analyze applicable law.
“I thank Attorney General James for entrusting me to lead this investigation with her office,” Kelly said, according to a statement.
In mid-September, a former student, identified as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against Cornell University and seven former Chi Phi fraternity members. The lawsuit claims Jane Doe was given ketamine and raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
After Cornell University conducted a Title IX investigation, two students were expelled, two were suspended and put on probation, and two had to write reflection essays and participate in bystander training, according to PBS News. The seventh man had already graduated and was barred from campus, according to the New York Times.
All men denied allegations, either claiming consensual sex or denying involvement. Initially, the local district attorney decided Jane Doe consented and no crime was committed, according to PBS News.
After Jane Does filed the lawsuit, the case was reopened and is now being investigated by the New York attorney general.
“All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case. I look forward to lending my years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the Office of the Attorney General as we examine all available evidence,” Kelly said.
Kelly was former Civil Rights Unit chief for the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. She is an alumna of Cornell University and Columbia Law School, and currently a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, an international law firm, where she works on high-profile criminal investigations and represents victims of crime and sexual assault.
This comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order No. 64 on Oct. 1, which appoints the OAG as a special prosecutor to “investigate the conduct of, and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury against and prosecute offenses arising out of the allegations of a sexual assault described in the complaint in Jane Doe v. Cornell University.”
