Student faces threats after filing suit

A former Cornell student who reported an alleged gang rape at a campus fraternity has faced threats and doxxing attempts in the three weeks since filing her lawsuit, her attorney told ABC News.

Lawyer: Jane Doe will continue despite threats

Attorney Thomas Giuffra said Jane Doe is concerned about the threats but vowed to continue the case, saying national attention is bringing awareness to the issue and providing a rare chance for accountability.

“Jane Doe is fearless. She always was interested in trying to make things better for other women, so there's no more Jane Does.”

Lawyer cites systemic failures by officials

Giuffra argued that Jane Doe has been subject to the most incredible sequence of failures by school officials and law enforcement, saying there is a failure everywhere along the line in her case.

“It's been the most incredible sequence of failures I've seen in my 30-plus years of practice.”

Cornell says it investigated and sanctioned

Cornell said it conducted a thorough Title IX investigation and issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions. President Michael Kotlikoff called the incident a defining moment and pledged reforms.

DA initially declined charges, then reopened case

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to bring charges in two thousand twenty-four but reopened the case on September twenty-seventh after speaking with Jane Doe and her lawyer following the civil suit filing.

DA defends consent argument in interview

Van Houten defended his decision not to bring charges, saying she clearly consented in the beginning and there was never any indication she changed that, but a crime would have occurred if she had explicitly withdrawn consent.

“If at any point Jane Doe had said, 'I don't consent to this anymore,' or in those words, or in any form of communication. If there had been continued sexual activity, contact by these individuals, that would be a crime.”

State AG takes over criminal investigation

New York Governor Kathy Hochul removed the local DA from the case and named state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the criminal investigation. Cornell announced an outside law firm would review the university's handling of the allegations.

Snapchat chat cited as key evidence

Giuffra pointed to a Snapchat group chat shared among more than fifty fraternity brothers during the alleged assault as a smoking gun. A brother invited Jane Doe to the house and later sent a photo appearing to show her in the bedroom with the message, boys come whip it out.

“I don't care what their defense lawyers say. I don't care what the university says. That is the classic gun. It's like a body on the ground, a smoking gun.”

Jane Doe withdrew from Cornell

Jane Doe withdrew from Cornell due to the incident. None of the men named in the suit have responded in court, although each has denied wrongdoing to investigators, in public statements, or through their lawyers.