Woman at centre of Cornell University rape inquiry in 'constant fear', lawyer says
The woman, known anonymously as Jane Doe, alleged she was drugged and raped by several men on Cornell's campus.
Woman at centre of Cornell University rape inquiry in 'constant fear', lawyer says
The life of a woman who brought a lawsuit claiming she was drugged and raped at a Cornell University fraternity house has been totally turned upside down, her lawyer has said.
Speaking to the BBC before a hearing in the civil case on Friday in New York, her lawyer Thomas Giuffra said: "She feels under fire."
The woman, identified anonymously as Jane Doe, is suing her former university and the fraternity over the alleged incident involving several men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
When the case went viral, a wave of "I am Jane Doe" solidarity posts emerged, but there was also a separate effort to expose her identity and defend the men, all of whom deny any wrongdoing.
The men, who are also being sued by the woman, have not been charged with any crimes.
"I am Jane Doe" placards were seen being held during a rally in Manhattan against sexual violence on 8 October
With the first proceedings now underway in the civil case, Giuffra told the BBC that the past few weeks have been "a very hard time" for his client, who is doing little beyond "surviving".
He said her choice to sue came from a wish for closure and to regain control.
Giuffra visited Jane Doe this week and found that she had not been sleeping well, instead relying on medication to rest.
Now in trauma therapy, he says she does not feel safe in her own home after malicious threats were made against her and her family.
After her address was posted online without her permission, someone made a fake emergency call that led police in full tactical gear to point assault rifles at her father, her friend and her brother at the family home.
"It's just constant fear," he said.
He added that, despite everything, her determination has not wavered and she remains committed to changing the university system at Cornell, and across the country, to protect survivors.
Cornell University, after first defending its disciplinary actions, admitted it had fallen short in how it handled Jane Doe's case.
Under heavy pressure, the college president announced that fraternity parties would be suspended until the end of the academic year so a full review could be carried out to decide whether and how they can safely continue.
The school also said it would add sexual assault investigators to its police force.
Giuffra, however, says he is surprised Cornell has not contacted him and believes the university has been focused only on "damage control".
He says any settlement with Cornell to end the civil lawsuit will need to include "steps to ensure there are no more Jane Does" and, if there are, that they will be supported.
The BBC contacted Cornell for comment and was referred to the university's earlier statements and comments on its internal investigation in 2024.
New York governor Kathy Hochul appointed a special prosecutor, New York Attorney General Letitia James, to oversee a reopened investigation into whether criminal charges are justified.
Giuffra expects a proper investigation will take a long time, but he is worried that investigators will be pursuing evidence that is now "stale".
"A lot of the communication was on Snapchat, Snapchat goes away," he told the BBC.
"The best time to get evidence is around the time of the crime and that just didn't happen."
Still, Giuffra believes he can win the civil case against the university, the men and others, where the burden of proof is lower than in a criminal case.
Civil cases require a preponderance of the evidence, meaning it is more likely than not that it happened, while criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Recent high-profile cases have shown that the way juries assess consent can be unpredictable.
"I wouldn't have taken the case if I didn't think it was a strong case that I could win and get her some closure."