Public outrage grows over Cornell's handling of sexual assault allegations, and actor Florence Pugh is one to speak out on the matter. The actor, who has been busy promoting her Netflix show East of Eden, backed a former Cornell University student student who filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit has alleged she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members in 2024. Pugh also claimed Instagram blocked her original post on the case.
What Florence Pugh said
The actor shared that Instagram blocked her original post on the case. She spoke about it further during an appearance on The View, adding that she is glad that she had the platform to share her message despite the fact that Instagram censored her post.
During the chat, Florence said, "I am a woman and this affects all women. Women that I know, women that I don’t know. Rape is something that the fear is something that lives inside our bodies. When stories like this come out… and it is really not picked up in the way that you hope it is picked up. It makes me feel scared, anxious and so much rage."
Deep Dive
What specific allegations were made against the 'Cornell 7' in the sexual assault case?
How has Florence Pugh contributed to the discussion surrounding the Cornell University case?
What has Cornell University stated regarding the handling of the sexual assault allegations?
“I am lucky enough to do what I do and that I have a platform. I wanted to talk about it and I wanted to share how it made me feel. I am able to come here and talk about it in real life. Sadly, Instagram censored me when I said it. Which is also just another shock that women are censored even when they go through these things and they can't talk about it. It is an ongoing conversation, which it always be, until we are harder to those who do that to women,” she added.
Cornell University ‘rape’ case update
{{/usCountry}}“I am lucky enough to do what I do and that I have a platform. I wanted to talk about it and I wanted to share how it made me feel. I am able to come here and talk about it in real life. Sadly, Instagram censored me when I said it. Which is also just another shock that women are censored even when they go through these things and they can't talk about it. It is an ongoing conversation, which it always be, until we are harder to those who do that to women,” she added.
Cornell University ‘rape’ case update
{{/usCountry}}The former student, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, filed the lawsuit in New York Supreme Court on September 16, alleging that Winston Lee, Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Gillio Lopes and Diego Sarabia raped her, the report added. According to the lawsuit, the woman was visiting a friend at Cornell's Chi Phi house when two fraternity members allegedly pressured her into snorting what they told her was ketamine while she was drugged. “Multiple people ‘began engaging in sexual acts (including both oral and vaginal intercourse) with Plaintiff, all without her consent,’” the lawsuit said.
Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, alleged that only two of the seven men named in the case were expelled, while other fraternity members faced lesser disciplinary measures, including writing essays. Giuffra also said none of the alleged attackers was arrested.
Cornell said it had investigated and adjudicated the allegations in accordance with its policies. In a September 21 statement, the university said it “condemns sexual violence” and that sexual violence is “fundamentally incompatible” with its principles.
The university said its Office of Civil Rights and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards handled the matter, while the Xi chapter of Chi Phi remained barred from campus.
“Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students and we therefore are unable to make a public statement on any other disciplinary response,” the university said.