Students allege Cornell did not take them seriously in reporting classmate who sexually and physically assaulted others

Two female Cornell students sued the university three years ago, accusing the school of not taking them seriously when they submitted complaints alleging they had been “sexually, physically and verbally assaulted” by a male student, according to a report. The women, who have not been identified, allege they were assaulted by the male student in 2018 and 2021 and that there were “at least five-ten others known to have been sexually abused” by him, according to court records obtained by New York Focus.Cornell is under scrutiny for its handling of sexual assault on campus after a bombshell lawsuit was filed in September, alleging that Jane Doe, a former female student, was gang-raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at a drug-fueled party in October 2024. The two female students sued Cornell in November 2023, according to New York Focus, which did not name the plaintiffs or the male suspect. They filed a complaint in the Tompkins County Supreme Court and claimed: “many more women were abused but have yet to come forward.”One of the women said she believed other classmates submitted Title IX complaints about the same student before hers, the Focus reported. The other plaintiff said she learned a third student also submitted a complaint to the university’s Title IX office. The second woman had her Title IX complaint after the male student left the school. Two female Cornell students sued the university three years ago, accusing the university of not taking them seriously when they submitted complaints alleging they had been ‘sexually, physically and verbally assaulted’ by a male student (Reuters)The two women accused Cornell of failing to report the allegations to law enforcement. Cornell asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, according to the outlet, but was unsuccessful. The university reportedly argued that allegations of negligence or wrongdoing did not meet certain legal standards. The case is scheduled to move to trial next year after Cornell’s motion to dismiss was denied. The male student also moved for dismissal and has reportedly denied all allegations against him.The Independent has contacted Cornell for comment. Both plaintiffs filed complaints with Cornell’s Title IX office, which has come under fire for its handling of the Doe case. Doe is suing seven men and the university after alleging she was gang-raped for hours while she was highly intoxicated, according to the lawsuit. The accused, dubbed the “Cornell 7,” have not been criminally charged, but prosecutors reopened the case after the civil suit.Attorneys representing the men have disputed the allegations, with some maintaining that the sexual activity was consensual and others denying their clients’ involvement.Members of Cornell’s Faculty Senate issued a vote of no confidence Friday against the school’s top leaders’ ability to manage the response to Doe’s lawsuit.The women, who have not been identified, allege they were assaulted by the male student in 2018 and 2021 and that there were ‘at least five-ten others known to have been sexually abused’ by him, according to the complaint obtained by New York Focus (Getty)Thomas Giuffra, Doe’s attorney, said in a statement Friday that “we are hopeful that this will be yet another step forward to educate and support the Cornell community by addressing the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus.”New York Gov. Kathy Hochul subsequently appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation amid concerns about the original handling of the case by Cornell campus police and the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office.In an eight-minute video message last month, Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, acknowledged troubling questions about the investigations that followed the allegations.“My heart aches when I think of what she experienced,” Kotlikoff said. “It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use.”“I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say,” Kotlikoff added. “We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves.”