Cornell University is facing mounting controversy over an alleged sexual assault involving a former student who says seven men drugged and gang-raped her at a fraternity house party in October 2024. Details of the case have emerged following her recent lawsuit against the university. According to her attorney, Cornell expelled only two of the students after conducting an investigation. The other five reportedly received lesser penalties, including temporary suspensions, mandatory courses or reflective essays. No one has been arrested in connection with the allegations. The woman, who was 20 at the time and is identified under the pseudonym Jane Doe, is suing Cornell and the fraternity members involved.
The case has drawn widespread attention, with “Black Widow” star Florence Pugh sharing a lengthy statement on Instagram in which she described the allegations as “horrific behavior” and said they left her feeling “disturbed, sick and anxious.”
“This is exactly when we need men to be as appalled as we are, to be as disgusted as we are,” she wrote. “You need to stand with us and lead the conversation about how we change this culture of acceptance and complicity surrounding behavior like this. When something like this happens and so many of you stay silent, how are we ever supposed to believe ‘not all men’?”
Pugh also condemned the university’s handling of the case. “I am no longer just tired — I’m enraged by schools protecting boys out of fear that their futures will be ruined,” she wrote. “What about the lives those girls then have to endure? They have to live with the knowledge that his reputation is considered more precious than her truth.”
“Those who protect rapists and destroy other people’s lives, or give them nothing more than a slap on the wrist, should be punished and placed under intense scrutiny.”
Shortly after Pugh published the post, Meta-owned Instagram placed a “sensitive content” warning over it and obscured it with a blurred screen. Some users reportedly could not get past the warning to read the full statement. Pugh later questioned the move in an Instagram Story, asking, “Am I being censored simply for talking about rape?” She added that neither she nor some of her followers could properly view the post.
Meta later confirmed that the post had initially been labeled sensitive under its systems governing sexual violence and exploitation content. After another review, however, the company determined that it qualified for a newsworthiness exception and removed the restriction. Adult users can now view the post normally.
Meanwhile, Toby Morton, a former writer for “South Park” and “MADtv,” has launched the website TheCornell7.org to compile the survivor’s account, court filings, public records, related reporting and the university’s responses.
“I’m building this carefully, and it will take time,” Morton states on the site’s homepage. “I’ve already received names, photographs, documents, messages, and other information related to the case. Before publishing those materials, I want to make certain that every identity is correct, every photograph is of the right person.”
“TheCornell7.org will bring together her account, the lawsuit, public records, documented reporting, institutional responses, and additional verified information as it becomes available. The goal is not to be first. The goal is to build a record that can withstand scrutiny. This will take time. It will be careful. It will be documented. And there will be accountability.”
Morton also addressed his campaign in an Instagram post, saying that he is not a journalist — and that makes him “far more dangerous.”
“I have no limits. No boundaries. Nobody to tell me I’ve gone too far,” he wrote.
Much of the website remains under construction. Morton said additional material will be released after the identities and information involved have been thoroughly verified.