DETROIT – Former Michigan football co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss returned to court Thursday, ducking behind a pillar to avoid cameras and jumping into a Jeep, which sped off.
Weiss, 42, appeared in federal court in Downtown Detroit in person Thursday. Inside court, dressed in a suit, Weiss told Local 4 reporter Erika Erickson he “could not comment any further” and politely declined an interview.
Outside the courtroom, he said nothing and snuck into the black Jeep, which left with tires screeching.
Weiss is accused of hacking into the accounts of more than 150,000 college athletes -- primarily women -- to access personal, medical, and intimate information without consent.
In a separate criminal case, Weiss is facing more than 20 charges related to the alleged large-scale hacking scheme. Weiss pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include 14 counts of unauthorized computer access (each carrying a potential five-year sentence) and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, which mandates a two-year sentence to be served consecutively to any other penalties.
The consolidated civil lawsuit names Weiss, the University of Michigan, tech firm Keffer Development Services, and university officials -- including Jim Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel -- as defendants.
During the hearing, Weiss represented himself while legal teams stood in for the other defendants, Keffer Development and U of M. The hearing centered on Weiss’s motion to set aside a default judgment, in which he claimed improper service.
“I was never properly served by the plaintiffs,” Weiss told the judge, explaining previously that a postal worker mistakenly signed for a certified letter at his mother’s home in Connecticut. Weiss filed a motion for an extension.
Despite those claims, Weiss agreed to proceed Thursday, saying, “I’m not trying to respond to only part of this. … It’s unfair saying I’m trying to delay.”
“On the plaintiff’s side, it sounds like there was some willingness to work with you,” Judge Mark A. Goldsmith said to Weiss. “Not part of the train is going down the track. The whole train is going down the track.”
“Yes, sir, I’m agreeable,” Weiss said when asked by the judge if he would waive service issues and respond to the complaint.
Goldsmith seemed to urge Weiss several times to get representation in the civil case, as Weiss used the fact that he is representing himself as a reason he didn’t respond sooner.
Weiss also requested that his deadline to respond to this hearing be pushed until after the university defendants file their answers.
“They have 350 lawyers,” Weiss said. “I haven’t had time to go through it.”
“You are obviously at a very important stage in this case,” Goldsmith said. “You should strongly consider counsel.”
Judge Goldsmith ruled that all defendants, including Weiss, must respond to the consolidated complaint by Sept. 2, 2025.
Patrick Lannen, partner at Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley (SGGH), and representing plaintiffs in the civil suit, called Thursday’s hearing a turning point.
“We’re excited for the case to get moving, for discovery to take place, and to seek justice on behalf of the women we represent,” Lannen said. “Mr. Weiss is now a part of this case.”
Lannen said they tried multiple methods of serving Weiss and he “did not want a paper copy.”
“We feel that he was dodging it,” Lannen said. “We’re grateful the court has him here in person, so he had to acknowledge what’s taking place.”
Weiss’s behavior outside the courtroom matched what Lannen described as a pattern of evasion.
“He was hiding behind a pillar,” Lannen added. “It’s metaphorical.”
Parker Stinar, Founding Partner of SGGH, said more than 150,000 student-athletes had their personal information compromised. He promised accountability.
“What I say to (Weiss) now is: We’re going to hold you accountable for all of the actions you took,” Stinar said. “No more dodging.”
Stinar and Lannen stressed that the stakes go beyond one individual.
“We’ve asked the university to identify exactly when it was first reported that Mr. Weiss was seen accessing systems at Schembechler Hall,” Lannen said. “We’ve gotten no clear answers. They’ve remained silent.”
The university has said it plans to file a motion to dismiss based on 11th Amendment immunity.
But Lannen insists the university and its officials are not immune from accountability, including former head football coach Jim Harbaugh and current athletic director Warde Manuel.
“Although Mr. Weiss was the individual who conducted this behavior, we believe there are negligent and other claims against those other defendants that they’re going to have to answer for, as well,” Lannen said.
As the case moves forward, discovery will include sworn depositions and written questions to the university, Weiss, and other parties.
“We’re going to work hard and try and bring justice to these women,” Lannen said.
Local 4 has reached out to those who represent the university and Keffer Development. The attorneys for both had no comment.