Hollywood actor Florence Pugh has spoken publicly about a sexual assault case at Cornell University, urging men to condemn sexual violence and challenge what she described as silence and institutional protection around alleged abuse.
Pugh addressed the controversy in a lengthy Instagram statement after a former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit accusing seven men associated with the university’s Chi Phi fraternity of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in October 2024.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
The case gained renewed attention after the lawsuit was filed in New York earlier this month. On September 27, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said prosecutors were reopening the criminal investigation and would consider presenting the case to a grand jury.
What the Cornell lawsuit alleges
The plaintiff, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was 20 and a Cornell student when the alleged incident occurred on October 19, 2024.
According to the civil complaint, she had been drinking before going to the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca. She alleges that she was pressured to consume a substance described to her as ketamine before being sexually assaulted by multiple men.
The lawsuit names seven current or former students as defendants and also names Cornell University, Chi Phi organisations and other parties.
The seven men named in the complaint are Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.
The plaintiff is seeking damages and alleges that Cornell and other defendants failed to protect her and adequately respond to the incident.
Prosecutors reopen criminal investigation
The renewed criminal investigation is a significant development because no criminal charges were brought against the seven men following the original investigation in 2024.
Van Houten told ABC News that prosecutors intend to reassess the evidence and potentially present the matter to a grand jury with the plaintiff’s cooperation.
The district attorney also said the allegations contained in the new civil complaint differ substantially from the account given to police in 2024. According to Van Houten, the original statement did not allege that the woman had been drugged without her knowledge or forced into sexual activity.
Her attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, disputes that account and has criticised the handling of the original investigation.
The reopening therefore does not mean that criminal charges have been filed or that the allegations have been established. It means prosecutors are reassessing the case in light of the information now before them.
Florence Pugh calls for men to speak out
Pugh said she felt “uneasy and sick and anxious” after reading about the allegations and argued that men should play a more active role in confronting sexual violence.
She called on men not to remain silent when allegations of sexual abuse emerge and questioned how women could feel safe if men who oppose such behaviour do not speak publicly against it.
Pugh also criticised what she sees as a broader institutional problem in which schools may prioritise the futures or reputations of accused students over the experiences of women who report sexual violence.
Her comments focused on the wider issue of how universities respond to sexual assault allegations rather than simply the Cornell case.
Cornell says it investigated the allegations
Cornell has said it takes allegations of sexual violence seriously and that its relevant offices investigated and adjudicated the matter under university policies.
The university has also said privacy laws prevent it from disclosing individual students’ disciplinary records.
Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus following the incident, according to the district attorney’s office.
The civil lawsuit and the reopened criminal investigation are separate processes. The civil case seeks to establish liability and damages, while prosecutors are now examining whether the evidence supports criminal charges.
Pugh’s intervention has brought additional public attention to a case that had largely remained outside the national spotlight until the civil lawsuit was filed.
The next major development will be whether the reopened investigation produces additional evidence or leads to criminal proceedings.
