Highlights:
The Cornell University student who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by fraternity members is now facing threats aimed at forcing her to drop her lawsuit, according to her attorney. Women who have no connection to the case have also reportedly been targeted after being mistakenly identified online as the accuser.
The allegations have drawn national attention and triggered a renewed criminal investigation, while Cornell faces questions over how it handled the case.
"She's received multiple threats"
The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit in September against Cornell University, seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity and other entities over an alleged assault in October 2024.
Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, told CNN's "State of the Union" that people had threatened to silence or harm his client if she did not withdraw the lawsuit.
"She's received multiple threats," Giuffra said.
Giuffra also said he received a threat himself on Sunday morning. He did not identify who was responsible or say whether the threats had been reported to law enforcement.
The attorney said the threats were part of an effort to pressure his client and protect what he described as the existing status quo around the case.
Women mistakenly identified as Jane Doe also targeted
The online campaign to identify the anonymous plaintiff has reportedly gone beyond the woman at the center of the lawsuit.
Giuffra said at least three women who were incorrectly identified as Jane Doe have also received threats.
The case has generated intense discussion online, including the #IAmJaneDoe movement, in which women have publicly identified themselves as "Jane Doe" in an effort to protect the accuser's anonymity and show support.
But the attention has also fueled attempts to identify the woman behind the pseudonym.
The issue became particularly contentious after journalist Michael Tracey attempted to identify her publicly, later deleting the post amid backlash.
What Jane Doe alleges
According to the civil complaint, Doe was a 20-year-old Cornell student when she went to the Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19, 2024.
She alleges that she was already intoxicated and was later pressured to consume ketamine, marijuana and alcohol. The lawsuit says she became too impaired to consent and was sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members.
The complaint also includes an alleged Snapchat exchange in which fraternity members appeared to invite others to participate.
These claims come from Doe's civil lawsuit and remain allegations. No criminal charges have been filed against the men accused in the complaint.
Attorneys for some of the accused have denied wrongdoing.
The criminal investigation has been reopened
The case took a major turn in late September when the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office reopened its criminal investigation.
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office had initially declined to prosecute after Doe's 2024 statement to police did not include some of the allegations later detailed in the civil lawsuit, including that she had been drugged and gang-raped. He has defended the original decision and said the case had been publicly "sensationalized."
The situation changed again on October 1.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the criminal investigation. James can present evidence to a grand jury if the investigation supports doing so.
That means the criminal case is now being examined at the state level, but there is still no criminal conviction or finding that the alleged assault occurred.
Cornell's handling is also under scrutiny
The allegations have put Cornell's response to the 2024 incident under a separate spotlight.
Cornell conducted its own disciplinary process and imposed sanctions on several students. The university has said it supports the renewed criminal investigation.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff has also said the university will conduct an independent review of its handling of the allegations and take a closer look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life.
The university is facing questions about whether it did enough to protect students and respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.
New details add to the scrutiny
Records and reporting emerging this week have also raised questions about what Cornell knew about activity at the Chi Phi house before the alleged assault.
The civil lawsuit argues that Cornell should have been aware of problems involving drugs and alcohol at the fraternity. Other reporting has identified drug-related incidents at the house shortly before the alleged assault. Those details are now part of the broader scrutiny of Cornell's response and oversight of Greek life.
At the same time, the local prosecutor has pushed back against suggestions that investigators simply ignored evidence, saying his office's initial review was based on the information available at the time.
A case now facing pressure from every direction
The threats add another layer to a case already under intense public scrutiny.
For Doe, the civil lawsuit is now unfolding alongside a reopened criminal investigation and a growing debate over Cornell's handling of sexual assault allegations.
For the people accused, the allegations remain unproven and the criminal investigation has yet to result in charges.
And for women who have been mistakenly identified as Jane Doe, the case has demonstrated how quickly an online search for an anonymous person can turn into harassment of people who have nothing to do with the allegations.
The courts and investigators will ultimately determine what happened in October 2024 and whether anyone should face criminal consequences.
But the threats reported by Doe's attorney raise a separate concern: regardless of what investigators ultimately conclude, intimidation and online harassment should not determine whether an alleged victim continues to pursue a case.
