Attorney Teny Geragos, who helped represent Sean “Diddy” Combs during his federal criminal trial, is seeking to remove New York Attorney General Letitia James from the investigation into alleged sexual assaults at a Cornell University fraternity house.
Geragos is representing Winston Lee, one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity members accused of sexually assaulting a woman identified as Jane Doe in a civil lawsuit.
Lee has not been criminally charged and denies wrongdoing.
In court documents filed on Friday, Geragos accused James of publicly prejudging the allegations before taking control of the criminal investigation.
She argued that James and New York Governor Kathy Hochul had created a “blatant appearance of impropriety” which, combined with alleged ethical violations, should lead to the attorney general’s recusal.
Lawyer challenges James’s public comments
The filing focuses partly on a statement James made before being appointed special prosecutor.
“What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable,” James said. “I’m holding her in my heart and my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”
Geragos described the remarks as prejudicial statements that allegedly violated New York’s professional conduct rules.
She claimed the comments suggested James had already accepted Jane Doe’s version of events before completing an independent investigation.
“The AG is unquestionably biased, as her own public statements show,” Geragos said in the filing.
Claims grand jury may have been influenced
Geragos also argued that James’s public statements may have affected potential grand jurors who encountered the extensive media coverage surrounding the case.
“The AG’s public statements have prejudiced grand jurors because the AG has already publicly prejudged the guilt of the subjects of this investigation,” the filing alleged.
Lee’s legal team wants prospective or sitting grand jurors questioned about their exposure to James’s comments and other publicity surrounding the allegations.
It is ultimately for a judge to decide whether the statements require James to step aside, restrict her involvement or produce any other remedy.
Appointment branded a ‘political stunt’
Geragos further alleged that Hochul’s decision to replace the locally elected prosecutor with James was influenced by electoral politics.
“This public political stunt by the Governor and the AG to make repeated public statements, remove the case from the elected county prosecutor, and prejudge guilt in a criminal investigation for political advantage a month before election day is unethical and in violation of the law,” she argued.
Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor after saying she had lost confidence in Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten’s handling of the original investigation.
Van Houten declined to pursue charges in 2024 but later reopened the case following renewed attention and the emergence of additional material.
Second accused man challenges appointment
Lee is the second man named in Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit to challenge James’s appointment.
Attorneys for Gillio Lopes previously asked a court to void the appointment or limit James’s personal role in the investigation. Lopes has also denied wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
Jane Doe alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple men at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
The seven men named in her civil lawsuit have denied wrongdoing either to investigators, publicly or through their lawyers.
James’s office has not publicly responded to the latest filing. The criminal investigation remains active, and no court has ruled on the allegations contained in Jane Doe’s civil complaint.
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