Cornell lawsuit plaintiff Jane Doe's family home swatted with fake shooting call

Mixed · 2Police were sent to the parents' home of the former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday after a fake 911 call, according to her lawyer Thomas Giuffra, speaking to CNN. 1 2 Mixed · 2An officer arrived to find a car backing out of the driveway and detained Doe's brother and her boyfriend. Doe's father then came out and told police that his daughter was the plaintiff in the Cornell case and that the family had been receiving threats. 1 2 Mixed · 2Giuffra said the boyfriend was "thrown on the ground" and the father had "guns put in his face", and that someone could have been killed. Police and the FBI are investigating. 1 2

Mixed · 2Doe received a threatening call shortly before police arrived and told officers she "began panicking" because her phone "wouldn't stop ringing". The Independent reports the caller claimed to be related to one of the seven men named in her complaint. Giuffra's wife also got a threatening call that night, and it is unclear whether the calls were linked to the swatting. 1 2 Mixed · 2Threatening messages have told Doe to withdraw the case. Texts shared with the New York Post, as reported by The Independent, said "If so, don’t withdraw the case." On Wednesday Giuffra gave CNN a recording of a call to his office in which a man said "blood will be shed" unless the client withdrew. The Independent notes it is unclear whether the texter is actually related to a man named in the suit. 1 2 Mixed · 2Doe's lawsuit, filed in September, alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted in October 2024 by seven members of the now-defunct Chi Phi fraternity in Ithaca, New York. None of the men has been criminally charged, and all deny wrongdoing. The Times of India says the 101-page suit also names Cornell and others, and alleges members invited others to join the assault through a group chat. 1 2

Mixed · 2Giuffra said the threats had been mainly "a lunatic fringe" before this week but are now "somebody taking real steps to harm you". He said Doe spent Wednesday taping paper over the windows and is "scared". He said she has received dozens of threats, including a Monday text of three gun emojis, and that online personalities have tried to identify her. 1 2 Centre · 1The Times of India adds that students held a seven-hour sit-in at Cornell on Wednesday in solidarity with Doe. It also reports that Cornell has appointed former acting US attorney general Sally Yates to review its handling of sexual assault claims, and that president Michael Kotlikoff told students "We’re all angry." 2 Right · 1The Washington Examiner adds that Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the case last week, that Gov. Kathy Hochul then transferred oversight of the criminal investigation to state Attorney General Letitia James, and that Cornell has agreed to an independent investigation of how it handles sexual misconduct reports. It also reports that some online commenters have framed the October 2024 incident as consensual, and that about 80 students joined the sit-in. 3