Cornell Rape Accuser Threatened With Harm Unless She Withdraws Lawsuit Against Fraternity Members, Lawyer Says

A former Cornell University student who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a fraternity house has received threats urging her to withdraw her lawsuit, her lawyer Thomas Giuffra said on Sunday, 4 October 2026.

Giuffra told CNN's State of the Union that his client, identified as Jane Doe in court papers, had received 'multiple threats' to 'silence or harm' her. He said he had also been threatened but was 'not afraid of these people'.

The civil lawsuit is proceeding alongside a reopened criminal investigation now overseen by the New York Attorney General's Office. No criminal charges have been filed against the men named in the lawsuit, and the civil case remains unresolved.

Giuffra Reports Threats Against Client

Giuffra did not identify the people he said had made the threats. Reuters' report of his interview does not establish that they were connected to any defendant in the lawsuit.

He described the alleged intimidation as an effort to protect 'the status quo' and called the people behind the alleged threats 'disgusting'. His account of the threats is separate from the allegations concerning the October 2024 incident at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house.

Giuffra said his client had been traumatised by the alleged assault. His comments about the threats came as the university faced criticism over its disciplinary response and prosecutors' original decision not to pursue criminal charges.

Cornell Lawsuit Names University and Seven Defendants

Jane Doe's lawsuit, filed under a pseudonym in September, names Cornell University, seven former students associated with Chi Phi, the fraternity, a local bar and her sorority as defendants.

The complaint alleges that she was given alcohol, marijuana and ketamine before becoming incapacitated and being sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi house on 19 October 2024. The allegations have not been established in criminal proceedings.

CBS News reported that lawyers for two defendants had publicly denied the accusations, while others had not issued public statements. One defendant's lawyer told CNN that his client had not sexually assaulted or touched Jane Doe. Another said through his lawyer that he had participated in a Snapchat discussion but not in sexual activity or drug use.

The complaint includes a screenshot of a group conversation that it says involved fraternity members and included an invitation for others to participate in sexual activity.

Cornell Defends Disciplinary Response

The lawsuit alleges that some accused students were allowed to mitigate disciplinary consequences through written assignments. Cornell has said essays were not the sole consequence imposed on any individual and that sanctions included suspensions and expulsions after its Title IX investigation.

The university said it conducted a comprehensive investigation and held hearings. Those disciplinary proceedings were separate from the civil lawsuit and criminal inquiry.

Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff has supported an independent review by outside counsel of the university's handling of the case. He also said the institution would take 'a serious look' at fraternities and sororities, adding that membership of a group could never diminish individual responsibility.

Cornell has defended its response and said the Chi Phi chapter remained barred from campus.

Attorney General Leads Criminal Investigation

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the criminal investigation on 28 September. He said his office's original decision relied on Jane Doe's signed statement, which he characterised as describing her participation in drug use and sexual activity as 'voluntary, conscious, and consensual'.

However, a transcript obtained by CBS News records Jane Doe telling Cornell University Police: 'I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.' Van Houten subsequently said his office had not received the transcript. Cornell said its police department had shared the investigative material it provided to prosecutors.

Governor Kathy Hochul later appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, placing the investigation under the oversight of her office.

President Donald Trump criticised the appointment on Friday, 2 October, saying those James investigated would not get 'a fair shake'. Asked about the remarks on Sunday, Giuffra rejected the suggestion that the case should be politicised: 'It has nothing to do with politics.'