Re-investigation, #IamJaneDoe flash mob, and demand for rector's resignation: Details of the sensational rape case at Cornell University

Re-investigation, #IamJaneDoe flashmob, and demands for the rector's resignation: Details of the sensational rape case at Cornell University

Protests are being held in support of a girl who said she was gang-raped by 7 students of the prestigious Cornell University in the US, while a flashmob under the hashtag #IamJaneDoe continues on social media. Through this, users also want to protect the victim's right to remain anonymous, i.e., not to disclose her identity.

Jane Doe is a placeholder name used in English-speaking countries (primarily the US, Britain, and Canada) when a woman's real name is unknown, kept secret, or not disclosed for legal reasons.

This, in turn, recalls the #MeToo hashtag.

In 2017, a campaign under the #MeToo hashtag supporting victims of sexual violence spread widely on social media (this hashtag was first used in 2006). This was prompted by more than 80 women bringing allegations of sexual abuse against American producer Harvey Weinstein. After that, first in the US and then in other countries, millions of people began using this hashtag in posts about being victims of such violence themselves. In this case, posts and videos posted in support of the former student have been viewed tens of millions of times on TikTok and other platforms.

The 20-year-old former student, identified in court documents under the pseudonym "Jane Doe," filed a civil lawsuit in September. She stated that when she went to the Chi Phi fraternity house on the night of October 19, 2024, to see a friend, she was given alcohol and ketamine, and after losing control of herself, 7 young men raped her for several hours.

The lawsuit also cites the young men's Snapchat group chats as evidence, which show the students using obscene language and discussing having sex with the girl "for free." It is noted that the girl, stunned by the incident, approached the campus police three weeks later, on November 8, 2024, and was later forced to leave the prestigious university due to severe psychological trauma.

The victim is now demanding to hold accountable not only the young men but also the university administration and student fraternities, which limited the punishment of the perpetrators to merely writing an "educational essay." The Cornell administration denied that no punishment was handed down, stating that 2 students were expelled and the campus chapter of the fraternity was closed back in 2024, while the lawyer for one of the young men claims his client was in the room for only a few minutes and did not even touch the girl.

According to an official press release dated September 28, 2026, by Matthew Van Houten, the District Attorney of Tompkins County, New York State, the girl stated in 2024 that she participated in the consumption of ketamine and sexual intercourse voluntarily and with conscious consent.

The document states that the drug was consumed by being sprinkled on the girl's body, and every time she asked to stop the process, the young men stopped. Therefore, under New York law, it was found that in this situation, it cannot be proven that force was used or that the girl was in an unconscious state, meaning consent to intercourse was not given.

However, in the lawsuit filed two years later, the girl stated that she was forcibly intoxicated and gang-raped. Later, full transcripts of the campus police revealed her words "I was 100 percent raped," leading to discrepancies between the testimonies.

The prosecutor claims he did not see these full transcripts and that the university did not provide them to him.

Due to the confusion and doubts in the situation, with the intervention of the Governor of New York, the investigation was taken away from the local prosecutor and transferred to the supervision of State Attorney General Letitia James.

On the internet, a large portion of those supporting the girl are criticizing independent journalist and commentator Michael Tracey. He had expressed sympathy for the accused young men, saying they faced harassment and persecution after the incident.

Tracey also questioned the testimony given by the victims of the late Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexual crimes. Tracey views his attempts to identify the Cornell student as "conscientious journalistic activity" protected by free speech guarantees.

"Let's see if anyone has the 'guts' to reveal the name of this Jane Doe, so we can all assess how close to the truth her and her lawyers' words are, after all, in her lawsuit, 7 of her classmates are named and defamed without hesitation as criminals who gang-raped her," Tracey wrote on the social network X on the night of September 29. This was one of his many posts on the case. On Friday, he published information believed to be the victim's name, then deleted the post, saying he had achieved his goal and made his point.

As a symbol of friendship and solidarity, Cornell University students held a mass demonstration on October 5.

Supporting the girl whose allegations have sparked serious outrage across the country, they demanded that the administration of this university, which is part of Cornell—one of the eight most prestigious universities in the US (the Ivy League, which includes the following famous universities: Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Brown Universities, and Dartmouth College)—take stricter measures against sexual violence on campus.

The protesters demanded an independent external investigation into how the Cornell administration handled the case, the organization of independent hearings, the introduction of uniform minimum penalties for all cases of sexual assault on campus, and more thorough training of campus police to respond to complaints of sexual violence and harassment.

Some protesters also demanded the resignation of Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff and other members of the administration, stating that their approach led to the preservation of a "rape culture" on campus.

All of the young men have denied any wrongdoing: some said the sexual intercourse was consensual, while others claimed they did not participate at all, it is written.

This rally took place just the day after the girl, Jane Doe, and her lawyer announced that they had been receiving numerous threats since the lawsuit was filed.

A few days ago, University President Kotlikoff, who released a video message regarding the controversies, promised to review the role of student associations and fraternities on campus, emphasizing: "Being a member of any group never diminishes personal responsibility."

Social media feeds have been flooded with people posting their videos under the caption "I am Jane Doe" to protect the identity of the victim at Cornell. These actions are aimed not only at making it difficult to search for her real name on the internet but also at expressing solidarity, with women in the videos also sharing detailed accounts of sexual violence they have experienced.

In particular, in neighboring Kazakhstan, women are also showing support by saying "I am Jane Doe from Kazakhstan" and sharing stories they have faced.

The solidarity movement around Jane Doe intensified after Michael Tracey promised to reveal her identity.

Students from other prestigious US universities (Buffalo, SUNY Purchase, Pennsylvania, and Columbia Universities) also shared their experiences, noting that administrations did not take serious action against perpetrators, closed cases, or simply limited themselves to a "minor reprimand." Many complained that the existing investigation system at universities fails to protect victims.

When asked about the incident before the case was reopened, US President Donald Trump indicated he was not very familiar with the details of the case, limiting himself to a brief comment: "Cornell is a good school, and I'm sure they'll do the right thing."

However, after the re-investigation of the rape case was handed over to New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Trump condemned it. He called Ms. James "corrupt," stating that anyone investigated under her would not receive "fair treatment," and the young men at Cornell would not get an unbiased trial.

The NYT notes that the reason for Trump's reaction goes back to his old conflict with Letitia James. In 2022, James filed and won a civil fraud case against Trump and his family. Trump, considering the justice system to have been weaponized against him during his second presidential term, launched a political revenge campaign against James.

Jason Goldman, a former New York prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, noted that both Republicans and Democrats are interfering in the case without fully knowing its details. According to the expert, such interference by high-ranking politicians in a legal investigation before its completion casts a shadow on the court's impartiality, and Trump's position looks more like political revenge than defending justice.