Cornell hires former deputy attorney general Sally Yates to lead independent review of rape claims response
Cornell University has hired former US deputy attorney general Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of how it prevents and responds to sexual assault claims, including a "detailed review" of its handling of a student's 2024 gang-rape allegations against Chi Phi fraternity members.
Cornell University has hired former US deputy attorney general Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how the Ivy League school prevents and responds to sexual assault claims, the university announced on Tuesday.
Yates, who served as deputy US attorney general from 2015 to 2017 and is now a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, will have “full independence” from a newly formed Special Committee of the Board of Trustees, Reuters reported. The review will examine prevention and response procedures, student support systems, and the handling of reports, investigations, disciplinary hearings and appeals.
It will include a “detailed review” of Cornell’s response to the claims of a student, referred to as Jane Doe in a lawsuit filed last month against the university and seven fraternity members, that she was sexually assaulted by multiple men at a Chi Phi fraternity party in October 2024. In the lawsuit, Doe alleges the university failed to adequately investigate and punish the members involved; a lawyer for Doe, Thomas Giuffra, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.
The local prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges after a law enforcement investigation, Reuters reported.
The announcement followed a mass rally on Monday at which students voiced solidarity with Jane Doe and demanded firmer action against sexual violence on campus. Last week, Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff called the case a “defining moment” and said the university “must do better.” Yates was previously hired by the US Soccer Federation to investigate allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Sources
More on this topic: all World stories
