Staff Reports
Megyn Kelly sat down with Tara Davis, a partner at Nesenoff & Miltenberg, and gave one of the men accused in the so‑called “Cornell 7” a national soapbox. Davis—speaking for defendant Gillio Lopes—pressed sharp questions about due process, pointed to differences between the university record and the public lawsuit, and said Lopes denies the allegations and insists any contact was consensual. The interview lands at a tense moment: prosecutors have reopened their review, new campus‑police material has surfaced in the press, and the fight between campus process and criminal law is playing out in public.
What Tara Davis Told Megyn Kelly
Davis laid out a clear defense message: Lopes denies the allegations and the defense will argue that any sexual contact was consensual. She also told Kelly that Cornell’s internal Title IX files tell a different story than the civil complaint now in the press. That claim matters. If the university’s investigatory record really does differ from what’s been widely published, it should be part of every discussion about the Cornell 7, not left to rumor and headline-driven frenzy.
Why the Tompkins County DA Reopened the Case
Prosecutors reopened their review after new reporting showed a campus‑police interview transcript that was not previously available to the district attorney’s office. CBS New York reported the transcript quotes the complainant saying, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” language that contrasts with the written statement prosecutors earlier relied on, which they say described participation as voluntary. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has acknowledged he had not seen the full transcript before declining charges previously—so reopening the inquiry was the correct, if overdue, move.
Cornell, Sanctions, and Outside Oversight
Cornell ran a Title IX process and imposed sanctions: expulsions, suspensions, a chapter closure and other penalties were reported. But administrative discipline and criminal prosecutions are not the same thing, and that distinction keeps getting lost in cable news. Governor Kathy Hochul has called for an independent outside review and the New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office is looking into Cornell’s response. That scrutiny is appropriate; universities need to get these cases right and the public deserves transparency.
Due Process Isn’t a Punchline
No one should trivialize sexual assault. But neither should we hand the marketplace of public opinion the power to decide guilt without evidence or fair procedure. The Megyn Kelly interview put a defense lawyer’s case on the record—and for all the righteous outrage on social media, the other half of justice still matters. Call for the transcripts, call for the records, call for the DA and university to be transparent. If you want accountability, demand both accountability for victims and for the accused to have their day—with facts, not just hashtags. In the end, that is the only way to serve justice and keep campuses safe without sacrificing basic fairness.
