Cornell rape case lawyer says accuser faced threats

The lawyer for a woman who alleges she was gang raped at Cornell University said she has faced doxxing, threats and harassment after going public with her case.

Thomas Giuffra, who represents the woman known as “Jane Doe,” said his client claims seven male students assaulted her at the Ivy League university in 2024. The men accused in the case belonged to a fraternity, and the alleged assault took place at a fraternity house.

Giuffra said one October “swatting” incident involved police drawing guns at the woman’s home after a man gave her address in a hoax call claiming to have shot his mother. He also said he had received death threats, including a call to his office telling him to drop the case.

Cornell has announced preliminary reforms to support sexual assault victims and commissioned an independent probe into how it responded in 2024. After the initial allegations, Cornell closed the fraternity and temporarily suspended the accused male students, two of whom were later expelled.

New York’s top prosecutor has launched a fresh criminal investigation into the rape allegations after local authorities said they declined to prosecute in 2024 because of a lack of evidence. Cornell’s faculty voted no-confidence in the university leadership on Friday.

Giuffra said his client wants any lawsuit settlement with Cornell to include steps to protect, educate and support students, not only money.