Several people who share the same name as a defendant in a high-profile sexual assault lawsuit involving Cornell University students have reportedly been wrongly identified and harassed online.
Cornell University is facing intense scrutiny and legal action following a civil lawsuit filed by a former student over alleged sexual assault at a fraternity house.
Many students gathered to protest, demanding the university president’s resignation over the administration’s mishandling of the case.
Source: Cornell Fraternity Life
In Sept, a lawsuit was filed by a former student who accused members of the Chi Phi fraternity of gang-raping a 20-year-old female sophomore who had been drinking at a party.
It’s reported that the assault occurred in October 2024 and lasted for several hours, according to The Cornell Daily Sun.
The allegations are contained in a civil lawsuit and have not been proven in court.
Prosecutors initially declined to pursue criminal charges, but they later reopened the investigation.
With the names of the accused made public, Winston Lee has been identified as one of the defendants and is also believed to be of Korean heritage.
He was accused of forcing the victim into oral sex and snorting ketamine off her body.
With few details about him, people online began to track down his identity and whereabouts.
Source: @parkcardi on Threads
Photos and videos purportedly linked to him have circulated online, alongside unverified claims about his citizenship, military service, and family.
Harassment also ensued when people who share the defendant’s name received abusive and threatening messages.
One Chinese-American student at the University of Pennsylvania told The Korea Herald that strangers had sent him abusive messages after mistaking him for the Korean defendant named in the case.
Source: The Korea Herald
The student, who is also surnamed Lee, said some people told him to “go to hell” or claimed he belonged in prison.
He eventually added a disclaimer to his LinkedIn profile stating: “I do NOT go to Cornell.”
Another Indonesian man also similarly took to Instagram to clarify that he was not the defendant, and urged people to stop contacting and accusing him.
Source: The Korea Herald
The University of Pennsylvania student said he had also spoken with others who experienced similar harassment.
“We’ve shared the same experiences of getting threats constantly,” he said.
He also added that one person told him the harassment had become so severe that they had sought therapy.
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Featured image adapted from The Korea Herald.