Woman Behind Cornell Rape Allegations Has Been Threatened, Lawyer Says

The woman who has accused some Cornell University students of raping her—known as Jane Doe, as her identity is publicly hidden—has received threats, a lawyer representing her said on Oct. 4.

“There are people out there trying to track her down. They have tracked down the wrong women, at least three of the wrong women that I have heard about,” Thomas Giuffra, the lawyer, said during an appearance on CNN.

“They said, ‘We’re going to shut you up. You’re going to … get hurt by us. You’re going to pull this lawsuit out, or we’re going to do something to hurt you even more.’ She’s received multiple threats, and women who aren’t even Jane Doe have received threats about what they’re going to do to her,” he said.

“And, in fact, this morning, I received a threat. But I don’t care. My grandfather fought the Germans for three years. I’m not afraid of these people. But the threats, the abuse to protect what’s going on, the status quo, these guys are disgusting. They should stay in their mother’s basement and stay out of the world.”

The woman, another Cornell student, was intoxicated after consuming about 10 drinks when she arrived at a fraternity house in Ithaca, New York state, in October 2024, according to a civil lawsuit she filed against the university and other parties.

The woman was “incapable of consenting” when she was pressured into taking drugs and forced to take part in sexual acts, the lawsuit stated.

New York’s attorney general has initiated a criminal investigation into the case, which she recently said could lead to charges. Letitia James, the attorney general, wrote on Facebook: “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers.”

Cornell has said it welcomed a renewed probe into the matter. The university’s president said over the weekend that the school would implement reforms in response.

“What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come,” Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a video statement.

“I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say. We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves,” he added later. “I believe we as an administration and we as a community must do better. We must do everything we can to prevent what happened to Jane Doe and everyone before her and anyone after her from ever happening again.”

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he did not agree with the decision to appoint James to investigate the case.

“I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake,” he said.

Giuffra said on CNN that he believed James would be fair and impartial.

“I think there are women from red states and blue states who are getting assaulted on college campuses. I think to politicize something like this is just wrong,” he said when asked about Trump’s comments. “There are Republicans whose daughters are getting assaulted. There are Democrats whose daughters are getting assaulted. It has nothing to do with politics.”