JUST IN: New York AG Letitia James Hit With Bar Complaint

New York Attorney General Letitia James is in hot water — again.

This time, she’s facing a bar ethics complaint over comments she made about the high-profile “Cornell 7” case.

Here are the details:

In case you don’t know anything about the ‘Cornell 7’ case, a young woman is suing seven male members of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity.

She has accused them of drugging and raping her in October 2024.

Initially, the local DA declined to pursue criminal charges against the men that ‘Jane Doe’ accused due to lack of evidence, including her own sworn statement in which she admitted to voluntarily taking drugs and engaging in sexual activity.

But now, two years later, the case has become relevant again because she has filed a civil lawsuit.

And, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has assigned Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate the original 2024 allegations.

But, there’s a problem.

Just a few days before being appointed as special prosecutor, Letitia James posted biased statements taking the side of ‘Jane Doe.’

Read her original post here:

So much for presumption of innocence, I guess.

Here’s how Letitia James responded when asked about her prejudiced social media statements on the case:

Letitia James says she won’t comment on her OWN Facebook post about the Cornell sexual assault allegations.

A reporter pressed New York’s attorney general about the message she posted before she was appointed special prosecutor in the case.

In the post, James publicly expressed support for the woman making the allegations, writing that what she describes is “horrific and unacceptable” and adding, “We stand with you.”

Now James says she will follow “the facts and the law.”

Watch the full exchange and see the post. 

Now, the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) has filed a formal, nine-page bar complaint calling for Letitia James to either recuse herself or be removed from the case for exhibiting a clear bias before any investigation has taken place.

The New York Post reported further on the complaint:

By showing whose accounts of the drug-fueled night of partying she believed — before even beginning to investigate — James compromised herself, argued the Washington, DC-based National Legal and Policy Center, which filed the complaint.

“It is clear that she must recuse herself from having anything to do with this case 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 herself from the case, or be removed, said the nine-page complaint filed to the court’s Attorney Grievance Committee.

“The violation is flagrant, obvious and therefore shocking,” said legal ethicist Jack Marshall, whose expert witness report was included with the complaint.

“I find it remarkable that the top lawyer in the state of New York could possibly be so unfamiliar with the professional ethics standards of her own state, which have the force of law.”

James’ statement “raises suspicion of a rigged, pre-determined and illicit investigation,” Marshall said.

“Letitia James has exhibited a clear bias in favor of Jane Doe’s allegations and against the Chi Phi defendants,” Paul Kamenar, counsel to the National Legal and Policy Center, told The Post.

“In doing so, she has blatantly violated the ethical rules of professional conduct and cannot serve as a special prosecutor in this case.”

This latest development comes after two of the accused Cornell fraternity members have filed motions to disqualify Letitia James from the case.

NBC News has more on that:

Attorneys representing Winston Lee, one of the former fraternity members accused in the Cornell University sexual assault lawsuit, filed a motion Friday in criminal court seeking to disqualify New York Attorney General Letitia James from any future grand jury proceedings.

The motion — filed by attorneys Teny Geragos, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan — asked a judge to preclude James from conducting a criminal investigation into whether former Chi Phi members, including Lee, engaged in sexual assault in October 2024.

Lee’s attorneys argued that the Tompkins County court has the authority to step in if necessary to ensure the fairness of a grand jury process. They are asking for any future potential grand jury panelists to be polled on whether they are aware of James’ comments. They also asked for the court to schedule arguments on the issue.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for James’ office said: “In this and every investigation, the Office of the Attorney General is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence, and the law.”

The filing follows a separate legal effort by lawyers for Cornell defendant Gillio Lopes, who earlier this week filed a civil court motion asking a judge for the same relief: the dismissal of James following her appointment as special counsel by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Jane Doe’s civil suit was filed last month against seven fraternity members as well as Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity and her sorority. The lawsuit alleges that both Lee and Lopes did drugs off her body and sexually assaulted her. Lee’s and Lopes’ attorneys say their clients deny the accusations brought against them.

https://wltreport.com/2026/10/12/just-in-new-york-ag-letitia-james-hit-with-bar-complaint/