The case centres on a former student who alleged she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024
Pop Culture & ArtOctober 29, 20261 min readPhoto: Netflix
Netflix is examining the Cornell 7 case in a new documentary exploring how American universities respond to reports of sexual assault. Instadocs: Jane Doe v. Cornell premieres on the streaming platform on October 29, 2026.
The documentary investigates “the often-flawed systems that investigate student sexual assault claims”, including campus police and Title IX procedures used by US universities.
Netflix stated: “Generations of students have turned to these systems for protection and due process. Jane Doe tried both, and the outcry over her case has pressed the question: are they delivering on that promise?”
The film features interviews with journalists Sophia Dasser and Cereese Qusba of The Cornell Daily Sun, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, attorney Thomas Giuffra and former Brown University Title IX coordinator Amanda Walsh.
It also includes perspectives from a former Cornell fraternity president and a graduate who reported an assault through the university’s Title IX process.
The case centres on allegations made by a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, who claimed she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple people at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
She filed a civil lawsuit against seven men in September 2026. Those named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing, and the allegations have not been proven in a criminal trial.
Cornell imposed disciplinary measures through its internal Title IX process, including expulsions, while the local Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus.
The criminal investigation has since been reopened, with New York Attorney General Letitia James appointed special prosecutor. Cornell has also announced an independent review of its response.
The documentary is the fifth instalment in Netflix’s Instadocs series, produced by Words + Pictures, with Steve Yaccino serving as showrunner.
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