A New York judge has rejected an attempt by Cornell 7 defendant Diego Sarabia to restrict public comments about a civil lawsuit alleging that a former student was gang raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond ruled that Sarabia’s lawyers had not provided sufficient grounds to limit the right to free speech, saying that simply expressing opinions about the case was not enough to justify court intervention.
The judge was particularly critical of an email submitted by Sarabia’s legal team from an attorney who is not formally involved in the proceedings. The message appeared to threaten another lawyer over comments made about the case.
Judge Perry-Bond said the email offered no useful evidence and appeared to have been included to attract “salacious tabloid reporting”. She also warned that her courtroom would not be used to generate media controversy.
The email has been ordered removed from the court record. Lawyers were warned they could face penalties if similar conduct continued.
Sarabia’s lawyers had sought to prevent the attorney for Jane Doe, the woman bringing the civil claim, from speaking publicly. They argued that media comments could influence public opinion and taint the jury pool.
The allegations relate to an incident said to have taken place in 2024, when the woman was a Cornell student. The defendants dispute the claims.
New York authorities have since appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the matter for possible criminal charges. The civil proceedings remain ongoing.
