Cornell rape accuser faces online harassment, says lawyer

The lawyer for a woman who alleges she was raped at a Cornell University fraternity house says she is “not doing well” as she endures an online “siege” by people trying to identify her.

Thomas Giuffra told CNN that the complainant, identified in legal documents as Jane Doe, was “incapable of consent” because she was “completely, grossly intoxicated” when she arrived at the house where she says the assault occurred. He added that she was pressured into taking ketamine before the alleged rape by seven men in Ithaca, New York, in 2024.

The case, which initially saw no criminal charges, was reopened after Doe filed a civil lawsuit, prompting New York Governor Kathy Hochul to appoint Attorney General Letitia James to take over the investigation. Hochul said she had “lost faith” in the county prosecutor’s handling of the matter and pledged to close a legal loophole that hampers rape charges when victims have consumed alcohol or drugs.

Social media has been flooded with posts from women posting “I am Jane Doe” videos to protect the complainant’s identity, while others share their own assault experiences. A political commentator’s call to unmask Doe sparked further attempts by online sleuths to locate the alleged perpetrators, leading to at least one case of mistaken identity involving a US Marine Corps sergeant who received the lawsuit and faced abuse.

Source: BBC News. Photo: David Yu / Pexels.