Cornell brings in ex-Justice official Sally Yates to review school’s handling of sex assault claims
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.
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.
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Peltz reported from New York. Associated Press writers Michael Sisak in New York and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
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