Several public figures and celebrities, including Florence Pugh and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have spoken out about allegations that seven members of a Cornell University fraternity sexually assaulted and raped a former student in 2024.
Pugh posted a statement to Instagram on Sunday, saying she felt "uneasy and sick and anxious" after reading about the allegations.
"I know this has happened before, and I hate the idea of it happening again," Pugh wrote.
The comments came as the allegations gained national attention following a civil lawsuit filed by the former student, identified as Jane Doe. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 14 in New York County Supreme Court, alleges seven members of Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted and raped
her at the fraternity house in October 2024. The allegations have not been proven in court.
On Monday, Sept. 28, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office had reopened its investigation into the allegations and was considering whether to bring criminal charges. He said prosecutors intend to present the case to a grand jury.
None of the seven people named in the lawsuit were criminally charged in connection with the allegations. Cornell said its separate Title IX investigation resulted in sanctions that included expulsions and suspensions. The university disputed a claim that essay writing was the sole consequence for any of those involved.
What have public figures said about the allegations?
The Oscar-nominated actress Pugh expressed her anger after learning about the allegations in an Instagram post Sunday, calling on men to speak out and "be as horrified and as sickened as us."
"You need to be leading conversations about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behaviour as much as we are," Pugh wrote. "How can you expect us to trust that it's 'not all men' when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?"
"There is no equality until you respect our bodies," she continued. "There is no equality until we can say we feel safe."
Pugh later said on Instagram that some users could not access portions of her post and questioned whether it had been restricted. She reposted the statement.
Actor Josh Gad also addressed the allegations on Instagram Sunday, criticizing what he described as a lack of accountability.
"The 'promising' young and 'bright' Cornell boys lost the right to a future when they stole a future from a helpless young woman," Gad wrote. He called the alleged conduct a "violent and sick criminal act."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also addressed the allegations during a town hall in downtown Ithaca on Sunday. She condemned what she described as a "culture of rape" at elite institutions and specifically referenced Cornell, according to The Cornell Daily Sun's report on her remarks.
"Jane Doe, that survivor, lost her education because you can't stay in school when something like that happens to you," Ocasio-Cortez said. "She had to lose her education, and those men were protected by an institution and granted an Ivy League degree as a reward. Never again."
Ocasio-Cortez also referenced claims that two of the defendants were expelled and others received essay assignments. Cornell has disputed that characterization, saying the university imposed a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions.
What did Cornell say about discipline?
Cornell said it conducted a Title IX investigation into the allegations, followed by a hearing before a panel of trained faculty and staff.
The university said the panel issued a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions. Cornell did not identify how many students were expelled or suspended, citing federal privacy laws.
The university also disputed the claim that those involved were given essay-writing assignments as their sole punishment.
"None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement," Cornell Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball said in a statement released by Cornell University Monday.
The Chi Phi chapter has been barred from Cornell's campus since 2024. Cornell also said it supports Van Houten's decision to reopen the criminal investigation and present the case to a grand jury.
What happens next?
Van Houten said his office is considering whether to bring criminal charges and intends to present the case to a Tompkins County grand jury.
Van Houten said the allegations in the civil lawsuit are "dramatically different" from Jane Doe's original statement to Cornell University Police in 2024.
According to Van Houten, her original statement did not say she was drugged without her knowledge, forced to engage in sexual activity or physically helpless, unconscious or incapacitated at the fraternity house. He said his office initially relied on the Cornell police investigation rather than conducting a separate investigation.
The reopened investigation will determine whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges in connection with the allegations.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Florence Pugh, AOC speak out over Cornell fraternity assault allegations
