University of Michigan Lawyers Claim School is Immune from Matt Weiss Data Breach

The University of Michigan and its Board of Regents are pushing back against lawsuits filed by two women who claim their personal data was hacked by former football assistant coach Matt Weiss. According to reports, lawyers for the university argue that it has governmental immunity, which limits lawsuits against federal institutions under the 11th Amendment.

Attorneys Daniel Tukel and Sheldon Klein represent the university in the matter, stating that Michigan cannot be held liable for the data breach caused by Weiss's actions. The filing argues that there is no evidence to support the claim that the breach has created "ongoing or future harm" for the women, despite the significant personal information stolen by Weiss.

"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 lawyers wrote in their filing. This assertion has sparked criticism from Parker Stinar, a lawyer for the women suing the school.

Starian's Response to Michigan's Immunity Claim

"It is not a shield for institutions that knowingly empower or fail to supervise employees who violate the trust and privacy of thousands of current and former female student-athletes," Stinar argued. "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."

Starian's comments underscore the severity of the situation, where Weiss was indicted on 24 counts of unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft. The former coach is accused of downloading personal information from thousands of student-athletes, primarily female, which he used to gain unauthorized access to their social media, email, and cloud storage accounts.

A Broader Context: Weiss's Indictment

The United States Department of Justice claimed that Weiss gained unauthorized access to databases containing information about student-athletes at more than 100 universities. The indictment also accused Weiss of downloading personal information on 150,000 athletes, which he used to hack into social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of 2,000 athletes.

Weiss was a key member of the Michigan football coaching staff during Jim Harbaugh's tenure in 2021. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2022 before being fired. The extent of Weiss's actions has sparked widespread concern about student safety and data protection at the University of Michigan.