The former Cornell University student allegedly raped at a campus fraternity in 2024 has been repeatedly threatened since filing her civil lawsuit last month, her attorney told Newsweek. Attorney Thomas Giuffra said the woman identified as Jane Doe in court documents had received more than 20 threats as of Thursday, less than a month after she filed a lawsuit regarding an alleged gang rape at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19, 2024. "She's absolutely terrified," Giuffra told Newsweek during an interview Thursday.
"Her mother sent me a picture yesterday of Jane taping paper over the windows in her house so people can't take a shot of her or members of her family. I think things have devolved into a bunker mentality where she's really feeling vulnerable." The former hospitality major, who hasn't returned to Cornell since February 2025, is currently staying with her parents, who live in a "deep red state," Giuffra said. "She has a wonderful family, and she's got very strong parents, who are very protective of her," Giuffra said.
"Her area is very police-focused, and they’ve been very helpful, and the FBI is involved. And so, the resources we can get to protect her are all in place. These cowards with their threats and their phone calls and their swatting—when they get caught, they’re going to have a real problem, and I'll be happy to testify in court against them." Some of the threats, which have been reported to both local and federal authorities, have been "really descriptive," according to Giuffra, who has also been targeted personally, he said.
"Well, I got [a threat] yesterday," he said. "My wife has had a few, and luckily I have very aggressive police where I live, and they're on top of things. I've also been in touch with federal agencies, and they're looking into this pretty heavily because you don't go threatening to kill people.
You don't try to intimidate witnesses." Police responded to the home of Jane Doe's parents late Tuesday after receiving a report of a "shooting in progress," Giuffra said. Responding officers then brandished their weapons at her boyfriend and brother while investigating the bogus tip. "I mean, just think of what kind of creep would do this in the house where she grew up," Giuffra said.
"She can't feel safe anywhere." Officers had to secure the residence before leaving the scene, Giuffra said, adding that the incident could've ended in tragedy. "If they didn't lift their hands up, or they did something that startled the cops, somebody could have ended up dead," he said. "And so, you have an innocent bystander killed and then a cop has to live with killing somebody who was innocent." But Giuffra said his client has been uplifted by the amount of support she has received from others, including messages from men and women around the world.
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