Cornell accuser faces online harassment campaign as case reopens under state oversight.
The woman who alleges seven men assaulted her at a Cornell University fraternity house in 2024 is experiencing online harassment as people attempt to identify her, according to her lawyer Thomas Giuffra. He said she is "not doing well" and finds herself "under siege" on social media, where postings have incorrectly identified other women as her.
No criminal charges were initially filed. The case reopened after the woman filed a civil lawsuit that drew national attention. During an interview with investigators, she told campus police she "was a sex doll for all intents and purposes" and "felt like bait" as the attackers were "like lions around me," according to school disciplinary records obtained by US media.
Giuffra told CNN on Friday that his client, who was 20 at the time, was "incapable of consent" because she was "completely, grossly intoxicated" when she arrived at the fraternity house. He said she had been pressured into taking ketamine before the alleged assault.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the state's Attorney General Letitia James to take over the investigation on Friday. Hochul said she had "lost faith" in the county prosecutor's handling of the case.
"This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable, and then at every turn she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her," Hochul said at a news conference.
The governor also pledged to close what she called a "loophole" in state law that makes it difficult to press rape charges if an alleged victim voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs.
A counter-movement has emerged on social media. Women have posted videos under the title "I am Jane Doe" to shield the accuser's identity and complicate internet searches for her name. Messages included women sharing their own experiences of sexual assault.
The online effort intensified after a political commentator vowed to unmask her, arguing she should not remain anonymous while the men are publicly named despite not being charged.
Online searches for the so-called Cornell Seven have led to mistaken identity cases. An active-duty US Marine Corps sergeant who shared a name with one of the accused men was incorrectly served the lawsuit and faced abuse and threats, according to the Free Press.