Defendants in a sexual assault case involving male students from Cornell University are seeking to disqualify the special prosecutor appointed by New York State. This comes as the state has initiated criminal charges in a case that was previously dismissed two years ago.
According to the Boston Globe on October 13, the defense team for the male students, who are facing a civil lawsuit in Tompkins County, New York, has filed a motion requesting the recusal of Letitia James, the New York Attorney General designated as the special prosecutor for this case.
The defense argues that James's public support for the alleged victim has prejudiced potential jurors, claiming she has already presumed the defendants' guilt. They have also requested the court to release communications between the governor's office and the Attorney General's office.
Among the seven defendants is Winston Lee, a Korean student known as Lee Mo, who is reportedly the grandson of a former Prime Minister of South Korea. He has retained Tenny Garagos from the New York criminal defense firm Agnifilo Intrator, which has represented high-profile clients including music producer Sean Diddy Combs and filmmaker Harvey Weinstein.
The incident occurred in October 2024 at the Kappa Phi fraternity house at Cornell University. According to a 101-page complaint filed by the alleged victim, she was sexually assaulted by the seven male students while under the influence of drugs, including ketamine, and alcohol. The defendants allegedly shared details of her condition in a group chat with over 50 participants, calling for additional involvement.
Despite the victim's report to campus police and local prosecutors, no formal criminal charges were filed at the time, and the university only imposed disciplinary actions such as suspensions on the accused students. Following the recent civil lawsuit, which brought the case back into the spotlight, New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the initial investigation and appointed James as special prosecutor to initiate grand jury proceedings.
In response to the growing controversy, Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff announced a complete ban on all fraternity parties and social events for male students and allowed direct involvement of New York State police in campus sexual assault investigations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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