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The woman suing Cornell University and seven former students over allegations of a 2024 sexual assault has received threats demanding that she drop her case, her lawyer said Sunday. Attorney Thomas Giuffra told CNN that the woman, identified in court filings as Jane Doe, had been threatened with harm or silencing if she did not withdraw her civil lawsuit.
Giuffra said he had also been threatened. The account comes amid intense public attention to the case, online efforts to identify the plaintiff, and renewed scrutiny of how university and local authorities handled her allegations. The claims in the lawsuit have not been adjudicated, and the men named as defendants have denied wrongdoing, according to prior reporting.
Lawyer says threats seek to force withdrawal of lawsuit
Giuffra said the messages directed at his client included threats to silence or harm her unless she withdrew the suit. Reuters reported that he described multiple threats during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The public reporting available Sunday did not detail the senders, the exact wording, or whether law enforcement had opened a separate inquiry into the threats.
The lawyer also said he had received threats himself. His comments add a new safety concern to a case already marked by attempts to expose the plaintiff’s identity. New York law allows people bringing sexual-assault lawsuits to use pseudonyms, and Jane Doe’s legal identity has not been independently confirmed in public reporting.
Online efforts to identify plaintiff spur concern
In a Reuters report published October 3, Giuffra said his client was distressed by online commentators’ efforts to discover and publish her name. He said some women had been wrongly identified as the plaintiff. The lawyer described the effect of the online attention as severe, while supporters used social media posts under the hashtag #IamJaneDoe to express solidarity and discourage attempts to identify her.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that many people, including survivors sharing personal experiences, had joined the online campaign. Some supporters said they hoped the volume of posts would make it harder for automated systems to identify the plaintiff accurately. The campaign has also illustrated a risk of its own: AP reported that some participants were mistakenly identified online as the person who filed the lawsuit.
Case concerns allegations at Cornell fraternity house
The woman’s civil complaint, filed in September, alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by members of the Chi Phi fraternity at its Cornell residence in Ithaca, New York, in October 2024. She was 20 at the time, according to Reuters. The lawsuit names seven fraternity members, Cornell, the fraternity and other parties. The defendants’ accounts and the plaintiff’s claims remain subject to legal proceedings.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor after questions arose about the original investigation. Tompkins County prosecutors had initially declined to bring charges; the county district attorney later reopened the criminal investigation and said evidence would be presented to a grand jury for possible indictment, Reuters reported. James has said her office would investigate fully and fairly.
The initial prosecutorial decision has drawn attention to how New York law treats allegations involving voluntary intoxication. Local prosecutors have cited legal constraints in explaining their earlier decision. Hochul has criticized the handling of the matter and called for changes to state law, while the transfer of the investigation to James shifts the next criminal review to the state level.
Cornell pledges review as scrutiny grows
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a video message Saturday that the allegations were deeply disturbing and that the university would examine the role of fraternities and sororities on campus. He said the university would support an independent review of its handling of the case and that the Board of Trustees would provide details the following week. The university has previously defended its response, saying it conducted an investigation and imposed discipline; the Chi Phi chapter remains closed, Reuters reported.
Kotlikoff acknowledged that the university did not have all the answers and said it would work to address questions from its community. He also cited legal and privacy limits on what Cornell could disclose. The threatened plaintiff’s safety, the state’s renewed criminal investigation and the planned university review are distinct matters, and public reporting has not established a timetable for resolving any of them.
What remains unclear
As of Sunday, the lawyer’s account did not identify those who made the threats or specify whether they were reported to police. It was also unclear whether the threats would lead to additional protective measures or legal action. Giuffra said the case should not be politicized, as debate over the special prosecutor’s appointment has entered national political discussion.
The civil lawsuit and criminal investigation will proceed separately, with different processes and standards. The grand jury review could determine whether criminal charges are pursued, while Cornell’s independent review is expected to examine the university’s response. Neither the threats nor the renewed inquiries resolve the underlying allegations, which remain contested.
