A New York judge has granted a legal victory to the plaintiff in the high-profile civil lawsuit involving seven Cornell University fraternity members, ruling that she may continue her legal action without publicly disclosing her identity. New York Supreme Court Justice Phaedra Perry-Bond issued the decision on Friday, allowing the woman known in court documents as Jane Doe to maintain her anonymity throughout the proceedings.
In her written opinion, Justice Perry-Bond pointed to the intense public notoriety surrounding the allegations and documented instances of harassment and threats directed at individuals connected to the case. The judge emphasized that the extraordinary public attention and efforts by certain individuals to uncover the plaintiff’s identity justified protecting her privacy.
While acknowledging that public interest groups and internet users have actively attempted to discover the plaintiff’s identity and subsequently harassed people allegedly linked to her, the judge issued a stern warning regarding online behavior. Justice Perry-Bond noted that cyberstalking and participating in or inciting interstate threats against the plaintiff, any of the named defendants, or their respective legal counsel can constitute federal crimes, potentially exposing perpetrators to criminal prosecution.
The ruling followed a series of legal maneuvers in the civil case. However, the judge recently denied a request for a gag order submitted by one of the seven defendants, Diego Sarabia. Sarabia’s defense attorney had argued that public commentary regarding the litigation could taint potential jurors and exacerbate threats, harassment, and doxing targeting participants, including the accused men. Justice Perry-Bond dismissed the request as a distraction designed to complicate the proceedings, while simultaneously urging all legal counsel to cooperate in safeguarding their clients from outside harassment.
The civil lawsuit stems from an alleged incident in October 2024 involving seven members of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity. The plaintiff, who was 20 years old at the time of the alleged events, has accused the men of drugging and gang raping her. All seven defendants have strongly denied any wrongdoing. At least three of the accused individuals have asserted that the plaintiff was actually the aggressor and failed to obtain their consent. Among them, Matthew Ingalls informed a Cornell Title IX investigator that he was sexually assaulted by the plaintiff while too incapacitated to grant consent, while also criticizing the university for allegedly failing to notify him of his rights as an alleged victim.
The civil suit was filed in Manhattan, where the plaintiff’s attorney stated she was residing at the time of filing. According to her legal representation, she had relocated to New York City earlier in the year to pursue a career within the hotel industry, but subsequently returned to her parents’ residence after national media coverage generated severe security concerns and threats. Meanwhile, Moonies Bar & Nightclub, an Ithaca establishment also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, has filed a motion to transfer the case to Tompkins County, where the Cornell campus and the site of the alleged incident are located. A judicial ruling on the venue change remains pending.
To date, no criminal charges have been filed against the accused fraternity members, though the criminal investigation into the matter has been reopened by authorities.
