A bar ethics complaint has been filed against New York Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly making damaging statements about the “Cornell 7” in the days before she was appointed special prosecutor to review criminal charges against members of Ivy’s Chi Phi fraternity, the Post has learned.
Two days before she was appointed special prosecutor to reopen an investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University’s Chi Phi House, James posted on social media: “What this young woman was forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable.
“To her and all survivors: you are not alone. We stand with you,” she wrote in the September 28 post on X.
By showing which accounts of the drug-fueled party night she believed — before she even began investigating — James compromised herself, argued the Washington, D.C.-based National Legal and Policy Center, which filed the complaint.
“It is clear that she must recuse herself from any involvement in this matter in order to preserve the impartiality and integrity of any investigation and prosecution,” according to the complaint filed in New York State Supreme Court.
James should either recuse himself from the case or be removed from office, says the nine-page complaint filed with the court’s attorney grievance committee.
“The violation is blatant, obvious and therefore shocking,” said legal ethicist Jack Marshall, whose expert report was attached to the complaint.
“I find it remarkable that the greatest lawyer in the State of New York could be so unfamiliar
to the professional ethical standards of his own State, which have the force of law.
James’ statement “raises suspicion of a rigged, predetermined and illicit investigation,” Marshall said.
“Letitia James demonstrated clear bias in favor of Jane Doe’s allegations and against the Chi Phi defendants,” Paul Kamenar, an attorney with the National Legal and Policy Center, told the Post.
“In doing so, she flagrantly violated the ethical rules of professional conduct and cannot serve as special prosecutor in this matter. »
During Thursday night’s attorney general debate against Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy, James pushed back.
“These comments demonstrate empathy,” James said. “And what we need more than ever in our body politics is more empathy. »
“Politics stops at the door of my office,” she insisted.
“In this and every investigation, the Attorney General’s Office is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of the facts, evidence and law,” a spokesperson for his office told the Post.
Two of the men Jane Doe accused in her lawsuit, Winston Lee and Gillio Lopes, filed court papers asking that James be removed from the case, saying she “made it clear…that she had already reached the conclusion…the defendants are guilty.”
James has been charged with conducting a thorough investigation into what happened at the Chi Phi House on October 19, 2024 and, if warranted, presenting evidence to a grand jury.
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