Cornell Student Asks NY AG James to Exit Rape Case

Winston Lee, a defendant in a lawsuit alleging forcible drugging and gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house, formally asked a judge to remove New York Attorney General Letitia James from the case. Lee’s request follows a similar one from fellow Chi Phi fraternity member Gillio Lopes. Both students are accused in the lawsuit, which stems from an incident reported to Cornell campus police in November 2024.

Lee's attorney, Teny Geragos, argued in a court filing Friday that James and Gov. Kathy Hochul created a "blatant appearance of impropriety." Geragos stated James "publicly prejudged the guilt" of those under investigation, citing a social media post in which James expressed empathy for the alleged victim. Geragos called the situation a "public political stunt" by Hochul and James. The attorney asserted that removing the case from the elected county prosecutor and prejudging guilt for political advantage, especially before an election, is "unethical and in violation of the law." Geragos emphasized that James is "unquestionably biased, as her own public statements show."

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office responded that the office "is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence, and the law." James defended her social media comments Thursday as demonstrating "empathy" and affirmed her commitment to an unbiased investigation, stating, "Politics stops at the door in my office." Hochul expressed full confidence in James to "look at the facts, examine the record, and draw the proper conclusions."