Cornell Student Sues University, Claims Disciplinary Hearing Compromised

A Cornell University student accused in a sexual assault case has filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging procedural unfairness in his disciplinary hearing. The student, identified in court filings as John Doe, claims a member of the disciplinary panel was driving for approximately 45 minutes while listening to crucial evidence presented via Zoom.

According to the lawsuit, the panel member, Savannah Bao, was the director of Cornell's online master's degree program for the business school at the time of the hearing. John Doe's legal team argues that Bao's alleged distraction tainted the hearing with an appearance of impropriety and the possibility that she missed critical testimony, preventing her from fairly assessing the evidence.

Adding to his claims, John Doe asserts that Cornell's disciplinary board found him not responsible for the initial charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation, which were brought after a woman, identified as Jane Doe, reported an alleged rape. However, the panel subsequently found him responsible for attempted sexual exploitation, a charge John Doe insists he was neither formally notified of nor given an opportunity to address. His lawsuit characterizes this as a "bait-and-switch" that deprived him of basic procedural fairness.

Jane Doe filed a civil suit in September, alleging she was raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at an off-campus house in 2024. She claims she arrived at the fraternity house intoxicated and was pressured to take ketamine and was given marijuana and alcohol before being sexually assaulted by multiple members. The complaint also states that during the assault, one fraternity member allegedly posted to a Snapchat group that there was "free pussy" upstairs, referring to the accuser.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to prosecute the case at the time, though at least two defendants have denied wrongdoing. John Doe's attorney, Jeremy Saland, has previously stated that his client denies the allegations and cautioned against allowing public outrage to create a presumption of guilt.

Following the disciplinary hearing, John Doe appealed the finding of attempted sexual exploitation, citing the alleged distraction of the panel member. The university rejected his appeal. As a result, he was ordered to have no contact with Jane Roe, complete a class on social media use and sexual harassment, and write a reflection paper. In March, he filed a lawsuit challenging the attempted sexual exploitation finding and seeking to have the ruling vacated. A judge rejected his request in September, and his lawyers have since filed an appeal to the New York Supreme Court.

Savannah Bao's LinkedIn profile appears to have been removed, and her name is no longer listed on Cornell's website. The university has not yet publicly responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.