UltraViolet Stands with Cornell Survivor “Jane Doe” and Demands Accountability As New York DA Reopens the Case

For Immediate Release: September 30, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com

UltraViolet Action is urging NY Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to call an extraordinary legislative session to close New York’s “voluntary intoxication” loophole and protect survivors of sexual violence.

UltraViolet Action, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization responsible for numerous impactful victories against sexual predators like R Kelly and Bill O’Reilly, released the following statement after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced the reopening of an investigation into allegations that a then-20-year-old Cornell University student was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity in 2024:

“Our hearts go out to Jane Doe and all survivors of sexual violence who are reliving their own horrific experiences, amid all the media coverage and social commentary from this brutal sexual assault case at Cornell,” said Elisa Batista, Campaign Director at UltraViolet. “We believe and side firmly with survivors and will do so until the systems that enable and protect sexual violence perpetrators are dismantled and justice is served.”

UltraViolet has launched a petition calling on Governor Kathy and Assembly Speaker Heastie to hold an extraordinary legislative session—and for the state Assembly to pass—an update to New York’s penal code, which currently makes it difficult to prosecute an alleged sexual assault assailant if a survivor was voluntarily intoxicated. This was the loophole that Tompkins County cited as the main reason it originally declined to bring charges against Jane Doe’s alleged assailants or conduct an independent investigation into her allegations.

As public outrage over the Cornell case and lack of accountability for the alleged rapists has grown online, UltraViolet is calling out another barrier to justice: suppression on social media. Meta Platforms, Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, made headlines after being called out by actress Florence Pugh for placing a “sensitive-content” warning over her Instagram post in which Pugh expressed support for Jane Doe, shared her anger over the case, and called on institutions and men to speak out and take action on behalf of women. Pugh responded directly to the warning on Instagram, asking, “Am I censored for talking about rape?”

“Giant tech companies play an often-overlooked role in the proliferation of sexual violence against women—in this case by suppressing content shared by women to protect one another,” said Jenna Sherman, Campaign Director at UltraViolet Action. “Women whisper networks have long played a vital role in keeping women safe through the collective sharing of information, resources, warnings, and stories. But when these critical pieces of information are not allowed to reach their intended audiences due to platform censorship and suppression, women’s lives and well-being are put at grave risk. The fact that Meta is choosing to suppress this specific content is also darkly ironic, given that the Zuckerberg-led company gutted content moderation for women last year and just this month was found to be running more than 300 paid advertisements containing suspected AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Meta seems to be all about “free speech”— except when it comes to women and our need to protect each other from rape culture.”

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UltraViolet Action works directly to mobilize constituents and lawmakers and is a 501(c)(4) organization working to change sexist policies, practices, and beliefs.