ATTORNEY SEEKS GAG ORDER IN CORNELL GANG-RAPE LAWSUIT

An attorney representing one of the men accused in a lawsuit against Cornell University has asked a judge to impose a gag order limiting public comment. The lawsuit, filed last month under the pseudonym Jane Doe, alleges that seven members of Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her in October 2024 and accuses the university of a cover-up. James C. Knox, who represents one of the accused men, filed the request on 9 October. He said Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has been "trying his case in the media" since the lawsuit was filed. None of the men named in the lawsuit have been criminally charged, and all deny wrongdoing.

Knox said the publicity amounted to "an orchestrated campaign from the outset," warning it risked prejudicing his client and the other defendants. The accused men's names and photographs have circulated on social media amid public reaction to the allegations. Knox also raised concerns about doxing, after the home address of a US Marine who shares a name with one of the defendants was mistakenly included in court filings, leading to harassment of the Marine's family. He said the court has found that information in the filings was used to threaten and dox the family of someone not party to the case.

Giuffra said the request for a gag order was an attempt to silence him and his client. Separately, Cornell University's president has suspended fraternity parties following the allegations, according to reports. The university acted after the student said she was drugged and raped at a fraternity party two years earlier. No date has been set for a ruling on the gag order request in the civil case.