The former Cornell student who reported an alleged gang rape at a campus fraternity has faced a series of threats and doxxing attempts in the three weeks since filing her explosive lawsuit, her attorney told ABC News. 

Attorney Thomas Giuffra said Jane Doe is concerned about the threats but vowed to continue the case — saying the national attention is bringing awareness to the issue, pushing lawmakers to reconsider laws surrounding consent, and providing a rare chance for accountability. 

“Jane Doe is fearless,” said Giuffra. “She always was interested in trying to make things better for other women, so there’s no more Jane Does.” 

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Giuffra argued that Jane Doe has been subject to the “most incredible sequence of failures” by school officials and law enforcement, which ultimately led to this situation. 

“It’s been the most incredible sequence of failures I’ve seen in my 30-plus years of practice. I mean, it’s not just one thing,” he said. “I can’t keep them straight half the time because there are so many. I mean, you have a failure everywhere along the line, everywhere.”

ABC News has reached out to Cornell for a comment.

Cornell said in a statement on Sept. 21 that it takes allegations of sexual violence “extremely seriously” and that it “investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies.”

In a subsequent statement, the school said it conducted a “thorough” Title IX investigation and “issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell.”

Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, released a video statement on Oct. 3, saying the incident is a “defining moment” and pledged reforms to campus culture and university policies and procedures.

Giuffra also called out Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who initially declined to bring charges in 2024. 

Van Houten reopened the case on Sept. 27 after speaking with Jane Doe and her lawyer in the wake of a civil suit being filed alleging that she had been drugged and raped.

In an interview with ABC News after reopening the case, Van Houten defended his decision not to bring charges, saying “she clearly consented in the beginning, and there was never any indication that she changed that to the things that she participated in” but that “If at any point Jane Doe had said, ‘I don’t consent to this anymore,’ or in those words, or in any form of communication. If there had been continued sexual activity, contact by these individuals, that would be a crime. But that’s not what was alleged in her statement.”

Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul removed the local DA from the case and named state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the criminal investigation of the incident. Separately, Cornell has announced an outside law firm would be tapped this week to review the university’s handling of the allegations and subsequent investigation.

Giuffra also pushed back on claims from attorneys for the accused fraternity brothers — who argued that she consented or distanced themselves from the allegations — arguing their “self-serving statements” are detached from reality and contradicted by the accounts of witnesses that evening. 

Giuffra defended his client’s decision to secretly record some of the men.

“She wanted to process what was going on. Because she couldn’t really wrap her head around it because she was traumatized,” he said. 

Giuffra also tried to cast doubt on the claims by some of the men that they were too intoxicated to consent by pointing to the Snapchat group where they invited others to join. He described the chat as a “smoking gun.”

ABC News obtained an extended version of the Snapchat group chat shared among more than 50 fraternity brothers during the alleged assault.

The fraternity brother who invited Jane Doe to the house that night sent a photo to the chat that appears to show her in the bedroom. He allegedly wrote in the chat, “Boys come whip it out.”

“I don’t care what their defense lawyers say. I don’t care what the university says. That is the classic gun. It’s like a body on the ground, a smoking gun. That’s that Snapchat,” Giuffra said.

Jane Doe withdrew from Cornell due to the incident, according to her attorney, and the civil suit filed in the case. None of the men named in the suit have responded in court, although each has denied wrongdoing to investigators, in public statements, or through their lawyers.

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Officers shot and killed a man inside a federal courthouse in Nashville on Thursday after he allegedly brandished a gun and then a knife in the court’s lobby, investigators said.

At around 9:30 am, an unidentified male in his 40s, who was from out of state, attempted to pass through the checkpoint of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building & Courthouse while armed, Nashville Metropolitan Police Public Affairs Director Don Aaron told reporters at a news conference.

At the checkpoint, the man allegedly attempted to fire his pistol, but the gun jammed, according to Aaron. The suspect then allegedly pulled out a knife and attempted to attack an officer, which is when the officer opened fire, Aaron said.

The suspect was transported to the hospital critically wounded and was later pronounced dead, Aaron said. Police said the man’s motive was under investigation.

Investigators were searching the suspect’s car, which was left near the scene.  

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will handle the investigation, Aaron said. 

“Obviously, someone who is armed and brings a firearm into a federal courthouse is not acceptable, and we’re going to have to get to the bottom of what happened and then act accordingly,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire said. 

Officials said the situation prompted the evacuation of a nearby library.

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It’s been a busy week for the sun, and aurora watchers in some northern and upper Midwest states looking for a glimpse of the famed colorful sky could benefit from enhanced solar activity Thursday night into Friday morning, Oct. 9. 

On Tuesday, a coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive burst of charged particles embedded in a magnetic field, departed the sun bound for Earth.

The ejection is associated with a moderate solar flare.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a moderate Geomagnetic Storm Watch beginning Thursday evening into Friday, as a result of the CME.

According to NOAA, a geomagnetic storm is “a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.”

While the agency says much of the activity will be minor, there could be periods of moderate storm activity. The UK Met Office says there’s even a slight chance of strong G3 levels.

The SWPC says the solar activity could create minor impacts to our technological infrastructure, but it’s “mainly manageable.” 

On the bright side, the aurora borealis, which appears in the night sky when electrically charged particles from the sun hit Earth’s atmosphere, could be visible in areas that don’t normally experience it.

“Aurora may be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state,” SWPC said in its alert.

Another CME linked to a smaller solar flare is also headed toward Earth but is only expected to deliver a “glancing blow” over the weekend, according to the UK Met Office. 

All this solar weather will keep conditions unsettled to active over the next few days. But whether you’ll be able to see the auroras depends on exactly when the CME arrives, the cloud cover and the magnetic orientation of the CME’s magnetic field. 

When geomagnetic activity becomes stronger, the aurora can sometimes be seen farther south than usual.

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Federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday unsealed new charges against ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro that accuse him of conspiring with his wife to torture individuals who were held in Venezuelan prisons.

The new indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, specifically accused his government of torturing Americans because Maduro “assigned blame to the United States for the instability in Venezuela.”

Federal prosecutors alleged Maduro “presided over this system of repression and torture” and his wife, Cilia Flores, is accused of helping him develop it.

“When Maduro became President of Venezuela in or about 2013, he authorized the use of torture against specific individuals and oversaw a system designed to use torture, military detention, and violence as a means of repression against the political opposition,” the new indictment alleged.

Maduro was charged by superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit torture and Flores was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit torture and one count of narcoterrorism.

“As alleged in the indictment, the Maduro regime subjected over a dozen American citizens to torture while held in custody of the Venezuelan government — including drugs, electrocution, sexual assault, and more,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “They will now answer for their crimes.”

While leader of Venezuela, Maduro allegedly conspired to torture one American for no reason other than he could be “useful in a prisoner exchange with the United States,” according to the new indictment.

An American citizen identified in the indictment as Victim-8 had been in Venezuela visiting family when “officers attacked Victim-8 from behind, severely injuring Victim-8’s back such that Victim-8 required a lengthy hospital stay,” the superseding indictment alleged. Venezuelan officers allegedly “electrocuted Victim-8’s testicles and put a pressure device on his ankles, causing him to faint several times” during transport from the hospital to prison, according to the indictment.

Once in prison, the torture continued, prosecutors alleged. On one occasion, one of Victim-8’s torturers told him the only reason he was alive was because he was a United States citizen and, therefore, “Victim-8 could be useful in a prisoner exchange with the United States,” according to the indictment.

In 2024, after Maduro declared victory following what the United States called a sham election, Venezuelan authorities allegedly beat an American citizen identified as Victim-9, according to the indictment, which alleged, “For two days they beat him with their fists to the face, head, and stomach approximately every half an hour. The beatings caused permanent injury to Victim-9’s eye.”

After about a year in custody, Victim-9 was released on Jan. 15, 2026, two weeks after Maduro’s ouster, according to the indictment. Still, Victim-9 and other Americans were warned “they were not allowed to say the Venezuelan government had hurt them or had otherwise subjected them to abuse,” the indictment said.

In January 2002, an American citizen identified as Victim-7 was detained in Venezuela on charges alleging participation in a conspiracy to assassinate Maduro. Victim-7 was taken to a concrete house where officials “tortured him over the course of two or three days,” the indictment stated. “Among other things, the officers punched him in the face and abdomen, covered his face and poured a noxious liquid over his face that caused him to vomit, which the officer then forced him to eat.”

From there, Victim-7 was transferred to Boleita Norte prison where, the indictment alleged, his torture continued and “included electric shock to Victim-7’s arms, legs and genitals; asphyxiation; beatings; deprivation of food and water; and forced injections of a substance that caused Victim-7 to experience seizures.”

Maduro did not appear in court Thursday. Flores appeared on a related matter and the federal judge presiding over the case denied her pretrial release on bail.

“Jail is not a nice place to be, but these are serious allegations,” Judge Alvin Hellerstein said. “I don’t think the conditions are there to release her.”

Defense attorney Mark Donnelly said Flores needs a medical procedure and cannot recuperate in a jail cell. He proposed placing Flores under house arrest with a private security detail.

“The conditions that the defense proposes address all the risk of flight concerns that the government may have,” Donnelly said.

Federal prosecutors opposed her release. They accused Flores of “horrific acts” and said “witnesses who were in the room” would testify about the torture she allegedly conspired with her husband to carry out.

Maduro and his wife will be arraigned on the new charges at a later date.

Both previously pleaded not guilty to narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges and maintained their innocence during their first court appearance in January, following their capture by U.S. forces in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Maduro’s lawyer argued in a court filing last month that the former president is immune from prosecution because he was the leader of a sovereign nation.

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One of the men accused in a “gang rape” at Cornell University is pushing to have New York Attorney General Letitia James thrown off the case, arguing that she “demonstrated a bias and presumption of guilt” through a past social media post.

An attorney for student Gillio Lopes asked an Albany court to void Gov. Kathy Hochul’s appointment of James as special prosecutor in the case, as well as force the appointment of a new prosecutor “who is free from actual or perceived conflicts of interest or bias.”   

Lopes’ attorney also pushed back on the details of the accusations made by the Jane Doe, saying her story “changed significantly” over time. Doe’s lawyer has in turn said those arguments are self-serving.

Hochul appointed James to investigate the case last week after saying she lost confidence in the Cornell University Police Department and the Tompkins County District Attorney, who had previously declined to bring charges in the case 

The legal push to remove James from the case centers on a social media post from last month when James signaled her solidarity with Jane Doe.  

“What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you,” James said on social media on Sept. 28 commenting on a news article about the case.

James declined to comment on the post during a press conference last week.

“I will not comment on a Facebook post,” she told reporters. She has not otherwise commented.

But Hochul defended the decision to appoint her. 

“I have every confidence in our attorney general to do what she has always done. Look at the facts, examine the record, and draw the proper conclusions. That’s exactly what’s going to happen in this case,” Hochul said. 

Attorney Andrew Miltenberg, who’s representing Lopes, argued in the court filing that James’ social media statement about Jane Doe was enough to justify voiding the appointment. 

“Through this official public statement, Attorney General James has made clear that she has formed an opinion about the case, that she believes the allegations made by Jane Doe, and that she has already reached the conclusion that Petitioner and the other named Defendants are guilty,” he wrote. 

Thomas Giuffra, the attorney representing Jane Doe, said she was in no condition to consent.

“She was not. Think about it. They were loading her up with ketamine. They were loading her up with — she was drunk before she walked in the door,” Giuffra told ABC News.

Lopes was suspended for one year after being found responsible for participating in the sexual activity when Doe was “incapable of conveying consent,” according to Miltenberg.

Lopes was also ordered to take “an educational restorative class” and submit an essay. He has since continued his education at Cornell. 

In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Miltenberg argued that James’ past statement as well as the current public attention on the case makes it impossible for his client to be treated fairly. 

“By saying what she said, posting what she posted several days later, you could reasonably read that as her, Letitia James, having accepted the factual premise of the allegations,” he said.  

In the interview with ABC News, Miltenberg pushed back on what he described as “a nonstop barrage” of misleading information about his client. 

“I think that his life and the lives of the other young men has already been destroyed in the court of public opinion,” said Miltenberg. “I don’t know how he ever overcomes this. He has been absolutely condemned by public opinion on social media, and that’s a significant issue.” 

Miltenberg pointed to a now-viral exchange when Lopes was accosted on Cornell’s campus earlier this month.

“Are you like not embarrassed to be here?”  a woman asked Lopes in the video. “You’re a disgusting person. Everyone at Cornell is ashamed of you.” 

The case has rocked the university and started conversations about treatment of alleged sexual assault on college campuses.

The woman at the center of the Cornell case, a former student identified only as Jane Doe, originally made a complaint to campus police in November 2024, three weeks after the incident occurred.

The Tompkins County district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, reviewed a summary of the woman’s statement that same month and decided based on that information that although the conduct in the case was “morally disturbing,” it did not constitute a crime.

Van Houten reopened the case on Sept. 27 after speaking with Jane Doe and her lawyer in the wake of a civil suit being filed alleging that she had been drugged and raped. The men have denied all wrongdoing.

Jane Doe has alleged that Lopes sexually assaulted her and later snorted ketamine from her body. Miltenberg denied the ketamine use and argued that the sexual activity was consensual. 

Miltenberg argued that Jane Doe’s account has “morphed almost dramatically” since she first told police about the incident.  

“There is a lot that is in the file that didn’t make its way into the civil complaint, which tells a very different story,” he said. “I think that the most respectful way for me to say it is that Jane Doe’s story has changed significantly since the complaint.”

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