// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Cornell frat house rape accuser 'under siege' online, says lawyer
The lawyer for the woman who alleges she was raped at a Cornell University fraternity house says she is "not doing well" as she finds herself "under siege" from online sleuths seeking to identity her.
Thomas Giuffra said the woman known in legal documents as Jane Doe was "incapable of consent" because she was "completely, grossly intoxicated" when she turned up at the home where she says the assault took place.
The woman alleges she was assaulted by seven men at the campus in Ithaca, New York, in 2024.
No charges were initially filed in the case. It has reopened since she filed a civil lawsuit that thrust the claims into the national spotlight, reigniting the possibility of criminal charges.
In an interview on Friday with CNN, Giuffra said: "She's under siege on social media where people are trying to identify her."
He said that postings have "incorrectly" identified other woman as Doe.
Watch: New York governor blasts handling of Cornell rape inquiry
In an interview with CBS, the BBC's US partner, Giuffra argued that his client, aged 20 at the time, was unable to provide consent because she was intoxicated when she arrived at the fraternity house.
Giuffra said she had been pressured into taking the drug ketamine before she was allegedly raped.
His comments came as New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the state's top prosecutor, Attorney General Letitia James, to take over the investigation.