The New York Times first publishes Doe's letter; her lawyer authenticates it

Cornell says question was directed at bystanders, not Doe’s report

The New York Times on Tuesday obtained and first published a two-page letter dated Oct. 14, 2026, from Jane Doe to Cornell University faculty leaders. Doe’s lawyer, Thomas P. Giuffra, authenticated the letter for The Times.

“She believed that this was important information that the faculty should know when considering what steps to take,” Giuffra said.

The former Cornell University student, now 22 and identified in court documents as Jane Doe, wrote that she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by the university president. She wrote that she wanted to share “a secondhand account” of a comment allegedly made by President Michael Kotlikoff a few months after she first reported the alleged assault to Cornell in 2024.

The alleged assault took place Oct. 19 and 20, 2024. Doe reported it to Cornell on Nov. 8, 2024. Doe accused seven men of sexual assault at a fraternity house.

Doe wrote in the letter that Kotlikoff purportedly made the comment in a meeting with students and administrators in January, several months after her report. Doe wrote that Kotlikoff’s “initial response” was along the lines of the question, “Why did she want so long to report it?”

Cornell said Tuesday that the secondhand account was incorrect, a conclusion the university said was “based on a documented first-hand account.” The university said, “The question, ‘Why did it take so long for the assault to be reported?’ was directed at bystanders who did not use Cornell’s anonymous tip line, despite ongoing social media activity about the incident in October 2024.” Cornell added, “He was not questioning Jane Doe’s reporting.”

Doe said the comments attributed to Kotlikoff “diminished my confidence in the administration’s ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school.” She also said her sorority president had shared the comment with her “out of concern.”

Cornell’s faculty senate is considering a vote of no confidence in Kotlikoff’s administration and will meet Oct. 28 to debate a possible no-confidence vote.

Kotlikoff and his administration have faced widespread criticism over the handling of the sexual assault allegations. The allegations became public in September when Doe filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven members who allegedly assaulted her, and her sorority.

Earlier, MSI reported that Kotlikoff acknowledged learning of Doe’s November 2024 report but did not contact her in the months afterward, and that Cornell faculty submitted a draft resolution to the University Faculty Committee calling for a no-confidence vote in the central administration. Doe’s Oct. 14 letter now adds a disputed alleged comment from the president as the faculty senate prepares for its Oct. 28 debate.