Second defendant in Cornell fraternity case seeks New York AG’s recusal

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