Cornell hires Sally Yates to lead independent sex abuse review after fraternity rape lawsuit
Cornell University announced on Oct. 6 that it has retained Sally Yates, the former acting U.S. attorney general, to review its sexual assault policies and procedures.
The independent review comes in the wake of a lawsuit by an anonymous former student, known only as Jane Doe, alleging she was raped by members of a Cornell fraternity. Yates will also examine how the university responded to the report Jane Doe made in 2024, according to the university.
“It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others. We want to understand not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell can become a leader in preventing sexual violence, supporting those who come forward and responding to allegations rigorously, fairly and compassionately,” said Anne Meinig Smalling, chair of a newly formed special committee of Cornell's board of trustees, in a statement.
The specific scope and timeline of Yates's review are not detailed in the source. Yates served as deputy attorney general under former President Barack Obama, and was interim attorney general for just days until President Donald Trump dismissed her at the start of his first term for refusing to carry out his executive order banning travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries.
Her hiring follows initial criticism of Cornell's handling of the matter. When President Michael Kotlikoff first announced plans for an independent review on Oct. 3, before Yates was brought on, students and faculty had pushed back against the administration.
THE LAWSUIT AND ALLEGATIONS
Jane Doe's lawsuit accuses seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of sexually assaulting her in 2024. The identities of the seven fraternity members are not disclosed in the source.
None of the seven were ever charged with a crime. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Jane Doe's statements to police weren't evidence the men had broken the law.
All seven fraternity members denied the allegations during the university's investigation.
Van Houten said in light of the suit filed last month, he would look into the matter again.
YATES'S BACKGROUND AND ROLE
Yates’s résumé runs deep in federal law enforcement. She served as deputy attorney general of the United States under former President Barack Obama, rising to the No. 2 spot at the Justice Department.
Her tenure as acting attorney general lasted only days. President Donald Trump dismissed her at the start of his first term after she refused to carry out his executive order banning travelers to the United States from certain Muslim-majority countries.
That stand made her a national name — and it is the backdrop Cornell’s trustees are betting on. Yates’s review will examine the university’s sexual assault policies and procedures, as well as its response to Jane Doe’s 2024 report, the university said.
The work sits under a newly formed special committee of Cornell’s board of trustees, chaired by Anne Meinig Smalling. In a statement, Smalling said Cornell must “examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others.”
No further details on Yates’s compensation or the review’s methodology are provided in the source. What is clear is the scope: not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell handles sexual violence going forward.
REACTION AND CRITICISM
The criticism that greeted Cornell’s initial announcement came fast. When President Michael Kotlikoff first unveiled plans for an independent review on Oct. 3 — before Yates was hired — students and faculty publicly faulted the administration for not doing enough.
Among the skeptics was Risa L. Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law. The source does not include the full text of her criticism, only her name and role; what she said specifically has not been confirmed.
The pushback helped shape what followed. By Oct. 6, the university had swapped a vague promise for a named investigator with national credentials, and the trustees had formed a special committee to oversee the work.
Anne Meinig Smalling, the committee’s chair, framed the effort in stark terms. Cornell must “examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others,” she said in a statement, adding that the goal is to understand “not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell can become a leader in preventing sexual violence.”
The timing of the announcement mattered. It came only after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said he would reopen the case and present it to a grand jury — a reversal triggered by the lawsuit Jane Doe filed last month.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
The criminal track now runs parallel to Cornell's internal review. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to lead the criminal investigation, a move that shifts the case beyond Tompkins County.
That appointment came after District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reversed course and said he would reopen the case and present it to a grand jury. The lawsuit Jane Doe filed last month triggered the change.
Yates's independent review will examine Cornell's sexual assault policies and procedures, as well as how the university responded to Jane Doe's 2024 report. The special committee of Cornell's board of trustees, chaired by Anne Meinig Smalling, will oversee the work.
A timeline for either process has not been specified. The source does not say when Yates will complete her review or when the grand jury will convene.
What is clear is that two separate inquiries — one criminal, one institutional — are now underway, each with its own mandate and its own endpoint. Jane Doe's lawsuit remains the thread tying them together, and her case will likely shape how both proceed.
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