The University of Michigan is on the defensive, as its legal team claims the institution is sheltered from lawsuits in the unfolding scandal surrounding former football coach Matt Weiss, who is charged with hacking into the accounts of thousands of student-athiles. According to ClickOnDetroit, the University and its regents believe they are protected by the 11th Amendment, a legal armor they expect will cause a court to dismiss the suit brought by more than 60 women who say their data was compromised by Weiss.
Details from a federal court filing revealed that Weiss, once a co-offensive coordinator at Michigan, now faces serious allegations of accessing the private social media and computer accounts of more than 3,000 individuals, The Detroit News reported. The lawsuit, which centers on claims of the unauthorized download of student-athlete's personal information solicits expedited discovery, indicating the need for the plaintiffs to understand the extent of the breach and unearthing any potential failures in University oversight or protocol.
The University's stance was succinctly summarized by lawyers Daniel Tukel and Sheldon Klein who, in a statement obtained by CBS Sports, argued, "There is no claim that plaintiffs have had banking, credit or other similar issues during the more than two years after Weiss was discharged and the notification letter was received."
The plaintiffs' lawyer Parker Stinar expressed frustration with the University's approach, telling The Detroit News, "The university's attempt to sidestep accountability by hiding behind legal technicalities speaks volumes about its priorities — and none of them center student safety or justice." The lawsuit indicates that the damage done by Weiss extended beyond the University of Michigan's network, implicating over 100 additional colleges and universities and exposing personally identifiable and medical information belonging to a reported 150,000 athletes.
The controversy in this case is growing as issues of security, privacy, and responsibility come into focus. Michigan’s legal team plans to argue in court that the University of Michigan should be protected from the lawsuit under constitutional immunity. Meanwhile, the plaintiffs will argue that the university should still be held accountable for allegedly violating the privacy and trust of its student-athletes.
