Online Campaign Seeks to Identify Cornell Lawsuit Plaintiff

Online users have tried to identify a Cornell University student who filed a lawsuit accusing seven fraternity members of gang rape. The effort has led to harassment of several women, including people wrongly identified as the plaintiff, according to her lawyers.

The plaintiff is known as Jane Doe. Her attorney Thomas Guiffra told CNN that she was receiving threats and was “under siege on social media.” Lawyers say three women have been falsely identified and harassed. The source does not name them.

The campaign began on X, where Substack author and podcast host Michael Tracey asked for information about Jane Doe. Aidan Thompson, founder of the AF Post, also sought help identifying her. Thompson posted a woman’s photos and biographical details, claiming she was the plaintiff. Tracey later named the same woman in a Substack post, saying he had found her name in court records. The article reports that he got it from a court records aggregator.

Accounts on X circulated the woman’s Instagram and TikTok posts and created AI deepfakes of her, according to the article. X’s rules prohibit sharing private information without consent and targeting people with abuse or harassment. X did not respond to a request for comment. Substack also did not immediately respond.

Tracey later deleted his post, saying he had made his point: that high-profile litigants should not be allowed to remain anonymous when accusing others of rape. The article notes that judges weigh factors including the risk of physical or mental injury when deciding whether a civil plaintiff may proceed anonymously.