A Cornell University student identified as a defendant in a civil action initiated by a former undergraduate student, referred to as Jane Doe , has petitioned the court for dismissal from the proceedings.
The legal complaint alleges that during an incident of alleged gang rape occurring in 2024, Diego Sarabia engaged in non-consensual physical contact with Jane Doe.
He, according to lawsuit, “grabbed her face and started kissing her, all without her consent,” before her disengagement from the situation.
Cornell student denies allegations, seeks dismissal from civil case
Sarabia submitted a motion on Friday requesting the dismissal of all claims brought against him in the litigation that Doe initiated on September 16 in New York state court. James C. Knox, representing Sarabia as legal counsel, stated in his filing that concerning the claims directed at his client, “this is essentially a lawsuit about a forced kiss. The motion was filed one week following a New York judge’s denial of Sarabia’s attorney’s request for a gag order.
Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond called the request a “side show” designed to “muddy the waters and distract from the merits of the claims and defenses involved in this case.”
