STROUDSBURG, Pa. — An “I Am Jane Doe” rally from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, outside the Monroe County Courthouse will show support for the former Cornell University student whose sexual assault allegations are now under a state special prosecutor’s investigation.
The courthouse is at 610 Monroe St. Organizer Julia Rettle is listed as host on its Facebook event page, which showed 221 responses on Oct. 23 and says speakers are to be announced and attendees should bring signs. Flyers say the purpose is raising awareness of sexual violence and showing solidarity with every Jane Doe.
New York’s attorney general took over the criminal case Oct. 1 when Gov. Kathy Hochul named a special prosecutor, and Rettle says the rally’s insurance alone cost her $1,965 after it was classified a high-risk political protest.
Survivors can reach Safe Monroe’s 24-hour hotline at 570-421-4200. The group says on its website that its support for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse is free and confidential.
Rettle explained the cost on a GoFundMe page. “Unfortunately, it was classified as a ‘political protest,’ therefore making it a ‘high risk’ event, hence the high price tag,” she wrote. “This event was too meaningful to me to simply walk away or not hold it on this account.”
As of Friday the fundraiser had raised $675 from 19 donations toward a goal of about $1,100, a little over half the insurance cost. Rettle wrote that she will donate any surplus beyond the goal to Safe Monroe.
The woman filed a lawsuit against Cornell and others Sept. 16 in New York County Supreme Court, according to an executive order that gave the attorney general the case in place of the Tompkins County district attorney, who declined in November 2024 to prosecute.
The order says that decision relied partly on a sworn statement that “reportedly omitted key portions of Jane Doe’s account.” The district attorney said in a Sept. 28 statement that “Jane Doe’s sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped.”
Cornell says a campus hearing panel issued sanctions including expulsions and suspensions. NPR reported that the lawsuit alleges seven Cornell students drugged and gang raped her at a fraternity in 2024, and that those named have denied any wrongdoing.
