Lawrence Krauss: Sexual Misconduct Allegations, University Findings, and the Epstein Files

PostedSeptember 27, 2026

UpdatedSeptember 27, 2026

ByEpsteinWiki

Snapshot

Lawrence Krauss faced sexual misconduct allegations spanning more than a decade and several settings: universities, atheist conferences, a Center for Inquiry cruise, and Arizona State University’s Origins Project. The accounts range from unwanted sexual comments to alleged groping and an alleged forced kiss. Krauss has denied sexually harassing or assaulting anyone. Arizona State University did make a formal finding that he violated its sexual harassment policy by touching a woman’s breast at a 2016 conference. The other incidents described below must be read according to their own evidence and outcomes, not treated as additional ASU findings. archive.ph

The Jeffrey Epstein records add a distinct part of the story. Krauss publicly defended Epstein after Epstein’s conviction involving a minor. Years later, when reporters and ASU investigated allegations against Krauss, he sent material to Epstein and sought his advice. Those communications document a relationship and a response to allegations; they do not, by themselves, establish that Krauss participated in Epstein’s sexual abuse. media-cdn.rollcall.com

Allegations and responses

Setting	Reported conduct	What the available record establishes
Center for Inquiry, Washington, 2006	Melody Hensley said Krauss forcibly kissed her in his hotel room, pushed her onto a bed and tried to pull down her tights.	Krauss acknowledged a sexual encounter but said it was consensual. Hensley disputed that account. Her then boyfriend confirmed that she told him that night Krauss had made her uncomfortable.
Case Western Reserve University, 2007	An undergraduate identified as “Nora” reported comments about dating and an invitation to dinner that she found inappropriate.	The university told her Krauss had been warned the behavior could constitute sexual harassment. It prohibited him from contacting her while she remained a student and required approval for him to return to campus. Krauss denied an inappropriate interaction.
Perimeter Institute, 2009	The institute confirmed receiving a sexual harassment complaint during a festival.	It did not disclose the alleged conduct. It said it decided in 2012 not to invite Krauss back; Krauss disputed its account.
American Atheists convention, 2011	A woman identified as “A.” said Krauss repeatedly put his hand on her leg under a table as she moved away.	A companion confirmed that she told him about the alleged touching immediately afterward. Krauss denied her account; another attendee supported his version of their interaction.
Center for Inquiry Greek Islands cruise, 2011	A passenger reportedly said Krauss proposed that she have sex with him and a female companion.	A Center for Inquiry president said he spoke with the passenger and she substantially confirmed the report. Krauss and his companion denied it.
Arizona State University workplace, 2015–2016	Students and staff described sexualized remarks, comments about clothing and pregnancy, and other behavior they found offensive.	These are reported accounts, with some witnesses and written records. They should not all be described as formally substantiated policy violations.
Australian Skeptics convention, 2016	Witnesses said Krauss touched a woman’s breast while she posed for a photograph with him.	ASU later found, under its evidentiary standard, that the touching occurred and violated its sexual harassment policy. Krauss denied groping her.

The first six rows draw principally on BuzzFeed News’s February 2018 investigation, which reported interviews with more than 50 people as well as documents and correspondence. The final row requires the additional distinction between the initial reviews and ASU’s later finding. archive.ph

The 2006 hotel room allegation

Hensley, then a Center for Inquiry volunteer, said she expected to have dinner with Krauss at his Washington hotel. She said he instead kept her in his room, pushed her onto the bed, forcibly kissed her and tried to pull down her tights. She said she escaped after he produced a condom. Krauss told BuzzFeed News that the encounter was consensual and that they mutually decided not to proceed. Hensley said she had not consented. The account from her then boyfriend supports that she reported discomfort at the time; it is not an eyewitness account of what occurred inside the room. archive.ph

Student and conference complaints

At Case Western Reserve, “Nora” said Krauss responded to her concerns about being a woman studying physics with comments about men asking her out. She also said he closed his office door during a student publication interview and invited her to dinner. A university letter stated that Krauss had been told such behavior could constitute sexual harassment. This was a university warning and restriction, not a finding that he committed sexual assault. The Perimeter Institute separately confirmed a 2009 sexual harassment complaint but withheld details about the allegation for privacy reasons. archive.ph

At a 2011 American Atheists convention, “A.” alleged repeated unwanted touching of her leg. Krauss denied it and described her as having flirted with him; she denied flirting. On a 2011 Center for Inquiry cruise, a passenger reportedly described an unwanted sexual proposition involving Krauss and his female companion. Center for Inquiry’s then president said the passenger substantially confirmed it when he contacted her. Krauss and his companion denied that it happened. These are two separate allegations involving separate women. archive.ph

Origins Project workplace accounts

Former Origins Project employees reported comments and conduct they regarded as sexist or sexualized. An undergraduate described an uncomfortable remark about her clothing at a 2015 event; two witnesses supported her account. A staff member wrote in 2016 that Krauss had suggested she dress as a hula girl to advertise an event. Another employee recorded alleged comments about maternity benefits, an offer to buy her birth control and a question about whether she planned to become pregnant. Krauss said no one had complained to him about these interactions and described the workplace as supportive. archive.ph

Further reporting on ASU’s investigation described additional matters examined by the university, including a reported proposal for a threesome to a prospective employee and concerns about Krauss’s handling of an employee’s unwanted attention from a potential donor. The donor’s alleged conduct must not be attributed to Krauss. The existence of an allegation in an investigation also must not be presented as a finding that every reported incident occurred.

What ASU found about the 2016 photograph

At an Australian Skeptics convention dinner in Melbourne, speaker Melanie Thomson said she saw Krauss touch a woman’s breast as the woman took a selfie with him. Two other attendees, Michael Marshall and Jo Alabaster, separately told BuzzFeed News that they saw him reach toward or touch her breast. Krauss denied groping her and said he sometimes raised a hand to block a camera flash. archive.ph

The sequence of reviews matters. After a complaint in 2017, ASU initially said it had not found a policy violation. Australian National University said the material then available was insufficient to substantiate the allegation, in part because investigators could not reach the woman in the photograph. Both universities rejected Krauss’s subsequent characterization that they had found the complaint maliciously fabricated. ASU later reopened its inquiry and found that Krauss had touched the woman’s breast without permission, violating its sexual harassment policy. He continued to deny misconduct. archive.ph

ASU placed Krauss on paid leave in 2018, removed him from leadership of the Origins Project, and a dean recommended dismissal proceedings. Krauss subsequently announced that he would retire from ASU in 2019. Retirement was the eventual employment outcome; it did not erase the university’s finding. statepress.com

Epstein: the sexual misconduct connection

Krauss’s defense of Epstein in 2011

After Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, Krauss defended him publicly. In correspondence preserved in the released records, Krauss said he believed Epstein’s account that he had not known the girls were underage. That was Krauss’s belief, not an established fact about Epstein’s conduct. The exchange is available in EFTA00628945; a contemporaneous response by Rebecca Watson challenged Krauss’s reasoning and his professed lack of bias. media-cdn.rollcall.com

The same 2011 correspondence refers to purported reports of orgies involving Krauss and other scientists on Epstein’s Little Saint James island. Krauss explicitly said those orgies never happened. The correspondence documents that he discussed a rumor; it is not evidence that an orgy took place or that he committed sexual misconduct there. media-cdn.rollcall.com

Epstein’s advice during the Krauss investigation

Released emails show that Krauss forwarded reporters’ questions and discussed his response to sexual misconduct allegations with Epstein. The records include the forwarded inquiry and response in EFTA00927060. In a March 2018 email to attorney Justin Dillon, Krauss identified Epstein as a friend who had advised him during the BuzzFeed investigation. The Guardian’s review of the correspondence also found discussions about university officials, legal representation and Krauss’s departure statement. Krauss later said he had sought advice from many people and that his communications with Epstein did not concern Epstein’s later alleged crimes. Epstein Files

One September 2018 message quoted by The Guardian describes a woman on a university committee in disparaging terms related to #MeToo. It is evidence of Krauss’s words during the university process, not a separate sexual assault allegation. The Guardian

A name in a released journal

A document identified as a confidential journal in the Epstein records, EFTA02731465, contains a reference to “Mr. Sauerkraut krauss” alongside a reference to Martin Minsky. A research index proposes that “krauss” means Lawrence Krauss. The journal passage does not itself specify an act of sexual assault by Krauss, and the identification and circumstances need independent corroboration. It should not be added to the list of substantiated allegations or turned into a claim that he abused an Epstein victim. Epstein Files

What remains unresolved

The public record does not establish a formal finding on each allegation reported in 2018.
The 2009 Perimeter complaint’s underlying conduct has not been publicly described.
The released Epstein correspondence establishes Krauss’s defense of Epstein and his requests for advice. It does not establish Krauss’s participation in Epstein’s abuse.
The island orgy reference is Krauss’s denial of a rumor, and the journal’s brief reference does not identify a specific act by him.

Sources and documents

Tags:

Academic Network