Lawyer says Jane Doe feels unsafe as Cornell rape civil case opens

An initial hearing is due later today in the civil case filed by an anonymous woman, Jane Doe, against Cornell University and seven men she has accused of gang rape at a fraternity house on campus.

Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said in an interview that she is struggling with harassment and threats and no longer feels safe in her own home after her address was leaked online. He said the doxing and swatting have been horrible for her. In one swatting attack, two groups of police came after someone reported that a person was being murdered in her house. Assault rifles and tactical gear were drawn, and her father, friend and brother had weapons pointed at them at the family home where she has lived her whole life. Giuffra said the episode was terrifying and that she has been sleeping a lot and is not doing well.

He said the pressure has strengthened her resolve and his own. They are not backing down and want to seek change beyond her case, at Cornell and elsewhere in the university system.

The civil case has two goals, according to Giuffra: compensation for what happened to her, and binding commitments in any settlement with Cornell. Those would include steps to educate students, improve safety, and provide support for women and for men who are victims of sexual assault. He said Cornell has policies on sexual assault but they lack teeth because nothing was done in Jane Doe's case. He pointed to her visit to Cornell Health, where she complained of a urinary tract infection of traumatic origin. He said the university should have arranged a full physical examination, a rape counsellor and, most importantly, a rape kit. None of that was done, he said, and it was the earliest opportunity to act.

Cornell University has commissioned an independent review of its handling of her case. The seven men have denied any wrongdoing. Cornell initially defended its disciplinary measures, but its president later acknowledged that the university fell short in its handling of Jane Doe's case. The school suspended fraternity parties until the end of the academic year and said it would add sexual assault investigators to its police force. It also rolled out measures including hiring more sexual abuse officers.

Giuffra said those measures were a good first step but asked why they were not taken two years ago. He said Cornell had not been in touch with him and appeared focused on damage control. Cornell was approached for comment.

Jane Doe's case has also raised wider questions about how the university responds to reports of sexual assault, including at the first point of contact with health services. Giuffra said his message to those who doubt her account is that women should be recognised as equals, and he said he has been shocked by attitudes that suggest otherwise.