Florence Pugh and Josh Gad speak out over alleged sexual assault at Cornell University

One of the top schools in the US, revered as a sanctified place by many students around the world, does not quite seem to be a safe haven for women. In 2024, a case of sexual assault was filed by a student from the Cornell University, but nothing good came out of it. Now, years later, the case has been reopened and Hollywood stars like Florence Pugh and Josh Gad have also demanded justice. 

Cornell University sexual assault case reopened; Florence Pugh, Josh Gad demand justice

A former student of Cornell University has recently filed a civil case against seven members of the university’s Chi Phi fraternity for drugging and sexually assaulting her at the fraternity house. The alleged crime took place on October 19, 2024.

According to the lawsuit, she had been drinking during a night out in Ithaca before heading to the Chi Phi fraternity house. She alleges that members of the fraternity pressured her to take a substance which they told her was ketamine, and then she was sexually assaulted. The woman has filed the case without revealing her identity; therefore, she is listed as Jane Doe.

The lawsuit names seven men as defendants, along with Cornell, Chi Phi-related organisations, sorority organisations, and other parties.

In solidarity, actress Florence Pugh took to her social media and addressed this sickening incident. She wrote, “After reading about the young woman who was gang raped at her college by her friend and school peers, I’m feeling uneasy and sick and anxious. I’m processing quietly and watching everything and everyone and every man. This is really the moment where we need our men to 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. How can you expect us to trust that it’s ‘not all men’ when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?”

Following the incident, the woman had immediately lodged a complaint against her abusers but only limited actions were taken. Reports suggest that university police ended their investigation after announcing only two of seven accused men as guilty and expelling them. Others didn’t receive any harsh punishments.

Referring to this very context, Pugh added in her post writing, ““Every single person who knew or heard about this happening, should be looked at with serious concern. They are as evil as those planning it. To know that a torture as violent as rape is about to happen ‘upstairs’ and not do ANYTHING ABOUT IT, is sick, cowardly and cold. This is a killing of a soul. And they’ve been let off? All it takes is write a quick ‘I’m so sorry I raped a girl while she was drugged with my friends, we thought it would be fine?’ essay and you’re good to go! This is unacceptable.” 

Josh Gad, actor and singer, also expressed his views and took to social media to post a write-up against the alleged criminals. He wrote, “When we start setting a precedent that our girls and women can be brutally raped, and the resulting disciplinary action is to hand out (checks notes) ESSAYS (like it’s Bart Simpson being a lil’ rascal), about why it was wrong to brutally violate an innocent girl, we have lost our f*****g minds. The ‘promising’ young and ‘bright’ Cornell boys lost the right to a future when they stole a future from a helpless young woman. That’s not a ‘mistake’ that these ‘aw shucks gee whiz rapist fellas’ learn from.”

As per reports, the woman is now seeking monetary damages, including compensatory and punitive damages, although the lawsuit does not specify the amount. 

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