Cornell University Sexual Assault Case: Accuser Under Social Media Siege as Lawyer Details Alleged Assault

The woman has been called "Jane Doe" in court documents

The complainant in the alleged sexual assault case at Cornell University is "under siege" on social media, where people are attempting to identify her, according to her lawyer. "She’s under siege on social media, where people are trying to identify her," her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, told CNN. In a separate interview with CBS, Giuffra said the woman, called "Jane Doe" in court documents, was "incapable of consent" because she was "completely, grossly intoxicated" when she arrived at a Cornell University fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, on October 19, 2024, when she was allegedly sexually assaulted there by seven men. "Jane Doe had been pressured into taking the drug ketamine before she was raped. She was 20 at the time... she was unable to provide consent because she was intoxicated when she arrived at the fraternity house," he added. Giuffra’s comments come as social media feeds have filled with women seeking to protect the Cornell accuser’s identity by posting videos of themselves under the title "I am Jane Doe." The posts are intended not only to make it more difficult to identify her through online searches, but also to show solidarity. Many of the women have shared their own experiences of sexual assault. Efforts to rally around Jane Doe intensified after a political commentator vowed to reveal her identity, arguing that it was "unfair" for her to remain anonymous while the men she accused were publicly identified, despite not having been charged with a crime. Online sleuths have also attempted to locate the addresses of the so-called "Cornell Seven," resulting in at least one case of mistaken identity. An active-duty US Marine Corps sergeant who shared the same name as one of the men was mistakenly served with the woman’s lawsuit, prompting a torrent of abuse and threats. No criminal charges were initially filed in the case. The investigation was later reopened after Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit that brought her allegations into the national spotlight and revived the possibility of criminal charges. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the investigation.