A female undergraduate at Cornell University is facing ongoing online harassment after filing a lawsuit accusing seven men of gang rape at a fraternity house in 2024. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by the group at the Chi Phi fraternity on the university’s campus in upstate New York.

The lawsuit, filed last month, contends that Doe, then 20 years old, was given ketamine, cannabis, and alcohol during an extended encounter that began with a consensual threesome involving two men. The suit claims that additional men were invited by a Snapchat group message to participate in the alleged assault. The case initially prompted local prosecutors to reopen a criminal investigation, after it had been closed without charges.

Following the publication of the alleged perpetrators’ names by a student newspaper, public opinion has become sharply divided. Four of the individuals have maintained the sexual activity was consensual, while the other three deny having any sexual contact with Doe. At the same time, individuals seeking to reveal Doe’s identity have sparked a backlash online, leading to a social media campaign where numerous women post “I am Jane Doe” to express solidarity and obscure attempts to identify her.

Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, described his client as experiencing severe distress due to harassment and efforts to expose her identity. “She’s under siege on social media where people are trying to identify her,” Giuffra said, criticizing those he described as a vocal minority seeking to shame his client.

The case has ignited debate about the broader issue of sexual misconduct on campus, with some commentators asserting that Cornell has a pervasive "rape culture" problem. Others have cautioned against rushing to judgment of the accused men, noting that none have been criminally charged at this stage.

Doe’s lawsuit details that she initially arrived at the fraternity house intoxicated, where one friend and a fraternity brother had proposed a threesome. According to her account, she was then drugged and the scenario escalated as additional men became involved. The developments have underscored ongoing tensions around campus sexual assault allegations and the challenges faced by those involved in such cases.