Rape case at Cornell turns spotlight on campus sexual assault

The Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, on September 28, 2026. - Heather Ainsworth/AP
It was 7:05 p.m. on a Wednesday in mid-September when Jane Doe’s lawsuit hit the New York County Supreme Court docket. Within days, the 101-page, double-spaced filing had captured the nation’s attention, sparking outrage and controversy and refocusing attention on a longstanding issue: sexual assault on college campus.
The complaint was explosive, claiming that seven