Protecting The Cornell 7 Is The American Way

What the Cornell sexual assault allegations and the Epstein files reveal about institutional accountability, survivor privacy and the systems that too often protect power. What happens when the institutions meant to protect survivors become more focused on protecting themselves? That’s the question at the heart of tonight’s Facts Over Fear. The allegations surrounding the “Cornell Seven” and the ongoing fight over the Jeffrey Epstein files are very different cases. But both raise a fundamental question about power, institutional accountability and survivor justice. What happens when reputation, money and influence stand between survivors and accountability? And for survivors, the harm doesn’t necessarily end with the abuse. There can be a second violation: being disbelieved, silenced, exposed, threatened or forced to fight powerful institutions just to be heard. Joining me is Arick Fudali, Managing Partner of Bloom & Fudali. Fudali represents survivors of sexual abuse, including several Epstein survivors, and has experience representing survivors of campus and fraternity sexual assault. We’re talking about what these cases reveal about survivor rights, institutional accountability, transparency and the systems that too often protect the powerful. Highlights from the interview: 00:00 — When Institutions Protect Power Instead of People 02:32 — What the Cornell Case Reveals About Sexual Assault 06:04 — Criminal vs. Civil Court: What’s the Difference? 10:02 — Why Calling Sexual Assault Lawsuits a “Money Grab” Is Misleading 14:05 — Why Survivors’ Stories Can Change Over Time 17:32 — Cornell, Epstein and the Culture of Institutional Denial 21:06 — Has the Me Too Backlash Changed How We Treat Survivors? 24:33 — What Real Institutional Accountability Requires 27:37 — Why Survivors Should Still Come Forward 30:44 — How Lawsuits Can Force Institutions to Change These cases aren’t just about individual allegations or scandals. They force us to ask who gets believed, who gets protected and who gets held accountable? Because accountability isn’t just about exposing powerful people. It’s about changing the systems that allow power to protect itself. Are we actually getting better at protecting survivors or just better at talking about them? And until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. FOLLOW NATALIE substack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnatalieb instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/# tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivenga threads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivenga podcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YF podcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950 FACTS OVER FEAR Let's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts. ABOUT NATALIE Natalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.