4 Cornell lawsuit defendants join effort to oust Letitia James from criminal investigation

NEW YORK — Four men named in a former Cornell University student’s lawsuit are joining an effort to block New York’s attorney general from leading a reopened criminal investigation into the woman’s gang rape allegations, according to court filings on Thursday.

The men agreed to be added to a co-defendant’s court petition seeking Attorney General Letitia James’ removal from the case because of social media posts she made prior to her involvement in which she condemned the alleged assault and expressed support for the accuser.

The development comes a day after James appointed Jacqueline Kelly, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw a sex crimes case against music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, as outside counsel for the investigation. She and a team of lawyers and investigators will be responsible for evidence gathering, witness interviews and other investigative steps. They will report to James.

A judge heard arguments last week on one accused man’s request to remove James but said he wouldn’t rule without knowing if the six other lawsuit defendants backed the effort. He gave the man’s lawyers until Thursday to try to get them to join.

Four agreed to join, including one whose lawyers had previously filed court papers seeking…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business