NY governor vows to close loophole after alleged Cornell gang rape

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed last Friday to close a legal loophole that makes it harder to prosecute rape cases if the victims were willingly intoxicated amid an uproar over an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. The accuser in that case has filed a civil lawsuit over the alleged 2024 attack at the Ivy League school, casting a harsh spotlight on a decision by prosecutors not to file any criminal charges at the time. The investigation into the incident was reopened last Monday, and Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor, as anger mounts over allegations that Cornell failed to properly hold the men accountable. In her civil suit, the woman says she was drugged with ketamine, assaulted and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, a social club for male students. “It should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a licence for sexual assault or gang rape. Period,” Hochul said last Friday. “I support closing this loophole and will work with the New York state legislature to accomplish this.” Several US states, including New York, have...