Cornell fraternity rape accuser facing online identification attempts, lawyer says
The lawyer for a woman alleging she was raped by seven men at a Cornell University fraternity house says she is being targeted by online sleuths trying to expose her identity, as the case regains national attention following a civil lawsuit.
Thomas Giuffra, the lawyer representing the woman known in court documents as Jane Doe, says his client is struggling emotionally as she faces persistent attempts by online sleuths to reveal who she is. The woman alleges she was raped by seven men in 2024 at a fraternity house near Cornell University's campus in Ithaca, New York.
No criminal charges were filed when the case first emerged, but it has drawn renewed attention after the woman filed a civil lawsuit, reopening the possibility of prosecution. Giuffra told CNN that some social media posts have mistakenly named other women as Jane Doe.
Speaking to CBS, the BBC's US news partner, Giuffra said his client, who was 20 at the time, was incapable of giving consent because she was severely intoxicated when she arrived at the fraternity house. He added that she had been pressured into taking the drug ketamine before the alleged assault.
State attorney general takes over
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has assigned Attorney General Letitia James to lead the investigation, saying she no longer trusts the county prosecutor's office to handle it properly. At a news conference, Hochul said the woman had already endured something unspeakable, only to be failed repeatedly by institutions meant to protect her. She also pledged to close a legal loophole that makes it harder to bring rape charges when an alleged victim had voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs.
Online, numerous women have posted videos under the banner 'I am Jane Doe' in an effort to shield the accuser's identity and express solidarity, with some sharing their own experiences of sexual assault. The movement gained momentum after a political commentator said he intended to unmask the woman, arguing it was unfair for her to stay anonymous while the accused men have been publicly named despite facing no charges. Separately, attempts by internet users to track down addresses linked to the so-called 'Cornell Seven' led to a case of mistaken identity, after an active-duty US Marine Corps sergeant sharing a name with one of the accused men was wrongly served legal documents, triggering a wave of abuse and threats against him.
