Florence Pugh says she is enraged by alleged Cornell assault
Florence Pugh says she is “enraged” by allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a woman in October 2024.
The actor posted a lengthy statement on social media on Sunday, 27 September, in response to the case, which became public after the former student filed a lawsuit against the university, according to Variety.
The woman, identified in legal papers as Jane Doe and aged 20 at the time, accuses seven men of raping her at a fraternity house party. A fraternity in the United States is a student social club, often with its own shared house. She is suing the school and the fraternity members, claiming they failed to protect her and prevent the alleged assault.
No one was arrested in connection with the alleged assault. The woman’s attorney has said that after a university investigation, two of the accused students were expelled. The others received lesser sanctions, described as temporary suspensions, workshops or essay-writing assignments.
Pugh described the alleged incident as a horrific act. She said she felt “uneasy” and “sick” over the claims, as reported by Yahoo.
In her Instagram message, she urged men to lead conversations about changing the allowance and complicity around such behaviour. She closed with a direct plea. “Be angry for us. Please.”
Pugh was among several high-profile figures to speak publicly after the lawsuit drew wider attention. Josh Gad was also among the Hollywood stars who condemned the alleged assault and called for accountability, according to The Times of India.
Cornell University has said it is aware of a lawsuit concerning allegations of sexual assault involving student members, in a statement published on 21 September, carried on Cornell Statements. The university had earlier placed its Chi Phi, Xi Chapter under a temporary suspension order on 8 November 2024 for alleged violations of the Student Code.
The case has refocused attention on campus safety data at Cornell. A university task force reported in March that 52% of Cornell undergraduate women who belong to Greek-letter organisations reported experiencing sexual assault, compared with 29% of those who do not, according to the Cornell task force report.
