ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh and current athletic director Warde Manuel were named in an amended lawsuit against the University of Michigan.
The civil rights and Title IX class action lawsuit initially filed against the University of Michigan has been amended to include Harbaugh and Manuel as individual defendants.
Recommended Videos
The lawsuit alleges former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss accessed and stole private, intimate images and information of female student-athletes without their consent while employed by the university.
According to the amended complaint, university officials, including Harbaugh and Manuel, were aware of or should have been aware of Weiss’s misconduct by Dec. 21, 2022, but failed to act promptly to protect the affected students.
“The University of Michigan knowingly permitted Matt Weiss to coach in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2022, despite credible reports that he had been seen accessing plaintiffs’ private information at Schembechler Hall between Dec. 21 and 23,” said Parker Stinar, founding partner at Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley PLLC. “These actions were reported to the university before the game, yet no protective action was taken.”
The complaint further alleges the university prioritized the football program’s postseason success over student safety and transparency.
“Naming head coach Jim Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel in this complaint reflects our belief that leadership at the highest levels either knew of these threats or deliberately ignored them, prioritizing athletic prestige and profit over the safety and dignity of students,” Stinar said.
The amended complaint also situates the university’s actions within a broader pattern of past misconduct, citing previous scandals involving Dr. Robert Anderson, Provost Martin Philbert, and President Mark Schlissel.
The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief, including full disclosure of the university’s handling of the breach and implementation of safety and reporting protocols to prevent future violations.
“The university’s delay in taking meaningful protective action until after a high-stakes game sends a clear message: student welfare was secondary,” Stinar said. “This case is about institutional accountability and about ensuring that no student is sacrificed for competitive success.”
Previous coverage: Ex-Michigan football coach Matt Weiss breaks silence, seeks dismissal of default ruling in hacking case
Weiss is accused of specifically targeting female students in an attempt to obtain intimate photos and videos without their knowledge or consent.
Court documents revealed Weiss allegedly hacked into databases managed by Keffer Development Services, downloading personally identifiable and medical information of over 150,000 athletes across more than 100 colleges and universities.
Weiss then allegedly gained access to social media, email, and cloud storage accounts of more than 1,300 students nationwide.
62 student-athletes are listed as plaintiffs across several universities, including the University of Michigan and several other universities outside the state.
Court documents said the defendants in the lawsuit had until June 2, 2025, to respond to the complaint.
The university intends to file a motion to dismiss the case, as it claims immunity granted by the 11th Amendment bars the accusations against it.