New York lawmaker says sexual assault victims should get tuition reimbursement—critics say this encourages women to lie about abuse

A New York state official has proposed a bill that would reimburse tuition for victims of sexual assault after there was a report that Cornell denied "Jane Doe" a refund in the Cornell 7 case, in which she has claimed that she was "gang raped." This is after she sent texts saying that all the sexual activity that took place was legal.

State Assembly member Grace Lee (D-Manhattan) was set to introduce a bill this week called the “Survivor’s Choice Act," which would require colleges to refund tuition for those who are sexually assaulted if they withdraw from classes or take a break for a semester, per the New York Post.

“No survivor of sexual assault should have to choose between their recovery and their education,” Lee said in a statement. “The Survivor’s Choice Act gives survivors the freedom to step away from school without being punished academically or financially.”

The bill would also allow for rollover payments when they reenroll as students full time.

Critics of the move said that the policy would incentivize people to falsely claim they were raped.

One user on social media said in response, "Financially incentivize getting raped. Awesome idea."

Another user mocked the "Cornell 7" case. "Does that mean I could take out a huge student loan, do a gay meth sex party and then accuse the 20 guys I let f*ck me, accuse them of rape and get my loan paid back?"

"Just what we need after this case, more incentive to make false allegations," another user wrote.

The lawmaker is sponsoring the bill in the wake of the Cornell 7 case. Jane Doe had asked for a refund of tuition, but her attorney said that she was denied when she wanted to take a leave of absence following the October 2024 incident.

“(She) wanted to leave the university and go home and heal,” attorney Thomas Giffura said, and added that “she spent an entire semester on campus where she saw these guys on a fairly regular basis.”

The students looking to invoke the act must provide an order of protection, police report, a medical record, or another signed statement from a counselor, doctor, clergy member, or others in trusted positions in order to provide credibility to the accusation.

“Colleges have a responsibility to support survivors not stick them with a tuition bill for a school they can’t attend, and we’re going to hold them to it,” Lee said.