Lawyer: Cornell accuser is being threatened
The lawyer says women wrongly identified as the accuser are also being threatened.
Follow-up to: Cornell promises independent inquiry after controversy Sunday, 4 October 2026, 08:04
The woman suing Cornell University and seven former students is receiving threats intended to make her withdraw her civil lawsuit. Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said this in an interview carried by several news organisations.
According to Giuffra, his client has received multiple threats. The senders allegedly wanted to silence her or pressure her into dropping the case against Cornell and the former students. The lawyer also said that he had been threatened.
Giuffra made the comments on Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. He named no suspects and did not say whether the threats had been reported to the police. It has therefore not been independently established who sent the messages, how specific they were or how great the risk to the woman is.
According to the lawyer, women who were wrongly identified as the accuser on social media were also threatened. The former Cornell student is referred to as Jane Doe in legal documents. Her real name has not been made public; De Vector will not publish it either.
The civil case concerns allegations about an incident in 2024 at a student house of the Chi Phi fraternity on the campus in Ithaca. Jane Doe alleges that she was sexually assaulted by several students. The allegations have not been established in a criminal case. Lawyers for at least two of the men named as defendants have denied that their clients took part in a criminal offence, according to the Associated Press.
The case is now also being reassessed criminally. New York Governor Kathy Hochul transferred the investigation to prosecutor Letitia James. James said her office would re-examine the facts and available evidence and that there was no predetermined outcome. The investigation could take months, she said.
Local prosecutor Matthew Van Houten had previously decided not to bring criminal charges. He later said that he did not have all the relevant information and now supports the transfer to James. According to the public documents, no one has so far been criminally charged.
Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff has promised an independent review of the university's handling of the matter. At the same time, the university says that privacy laws limit what it can disclose about individual students and disciplinary proceedings. The threats add a security and intimidation dimension to a case in which the facts, institutional responsibility and any criminal consequences are still being investigated.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Jane Doe's lawyer reports threats against his client and himself.
- The threats have not been independently confirmed and the senders have not been identified.
- The criminal review is now being handled by prosecutor Letitia James.
- Cornell has promised an independent review of its own conduct.
- The civil allegations are not the same as a criminal conviction.
Left
Arguments The safety of anyone reporting sexual violence must come first. Threats and attempts to silence her show that victims can be punished again without firm protection when they try to hold institutions accountable.
Values Equal access to justice, victim protection, combating abuse of power and institutional accountability.
Consequences Universities and governments should provide protection, independent investigations and clear reporting procedures more quickly. The risk is that privacy and due-process safeguards come under pressure if public outrage begins to direct the investigation.
Centre
Arguments The threats must be investigated seriously, but the facts must be established by independent investigators and judges. Both the accuser and the accused students have a right to safety, privacy and a fair trial.
Values The rule of law, proportionality, due care and trust in independent institutions.
Consequences A separate criminal review and an independent university evaluation can keep the roles separate. This takes time, but reduces the risk of one institution being investigator, assessor and spokesperson at the same time.
Right
Arguments Threats and identifying people online are unacceptable, but allegations must not turn into a public conviction. The government must gather evidence without pressure from activists, the media or political parties.
Values The presumption of innocence, individual responsibility, legal protection and restraint in government action.
Consequences An independent investigation can restore trust if it is transparent and follows established rules. At the same time, social media, anonymous claims or institutional reputational pressure must not be allowed to predetermine the outcome.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The main development is based on statements by the lawyer, reported by UPI and Reuters. The uncertainty surrounding the threats and their senders is explicitly included in the text.
- uncertain Jane Doe's lawyer says that she has received multiple threats. — Attributed to lawyer Thomas Giuffra in a CNN interview; no independent confirmation or police information was found. source
- uncertain The lawyer himself is also alleged to have been threatened. — The claim comes from the same statement by Giuffra and has not been independently confirmed. source
- uncertain Women who were wrongly identified as Jane Doe were also allegedly threatened. — According to Giuffra; there is no independent confirmation of the number or nature of these incidents. source
- confirmed Jane Doe has sued Cornell University and seven former students. — Confirmed in the Associated Press background description. source
- confirmed The criminal investigation has been transferred to prosecutor Letitia James. — The Associated Press reports that the governor of New York appointed James as special prosecutor. source
- confirmed No one has so far been criminally charged. — The public Cornell student resolution states that no one has been criminally charged in this case. source
- confirmed Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff has promised an independent review. — Confirmed by the Associated Press in its report on his video message. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the lawyer has reported threats and that the criminal investigation has been transferred to the New York prosecutor. The threats have not been independently confirmed; nothing has been made public about the senders, reports to the police or their specific content.Sources
- Cornell rape accuser facing threats over lawsuit, attorney says — UPI
- Woman in Cornell allegations case targeted with threats, her lawyer says — The Guardian / Reuters
- What to know about the Cornell University rape allegations — Associated Press
- Cornell president calls alleged gang rape deeply disturbing, pledges greater transparency — Associated Press
- District Attorney statement regarding Jane Doe v. Cornell University — Tompkins County
The story so far
- Saturday, 3 October 2026, 04:15 New York appoints special prosecutor in Cornell case
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 08:04 Cornell promises independent inquiry after controversy
- Monday, 5 October 2026, 03:09 Lawyer: Cornell accuser is being threatened (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „cornell new york”
- de Volkskrant — „cornell new york”
- RTL Nieuws — „cornell new york”