Lawsuit filed against former Michigan coach in alleged hacking case
The federal lawsuit was filed a day after the Department of Justice announced Weiss had been indicted on two dozen federal charges alleging he hacked into thousands of athlete and alumni accounts and downloaded private data, including intimate photos, over eight years.
The plaintiffs, who are not identified by name in the lawsuit, are two former University of Michigan female athletes. One was a member of the university's women's gymnastics team who attended the school between 2017 and 2018, and the other was a member of the women's soccer team who attended between 2017 and 2023, according to the lawsuit.
Citing the allegations in the indictment against Weiss, the lawsuit claimed that between 2015 and January 2023, the former coach unlawfully gained access to the social media, email and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 3,300 people, including the two plaintiffs, and then downloaded personal, intimate photos and videos. Weiss primarily targeted female college athletes, the indictment alleged.
ABC News has reached out to Weiss' attorney for comment on the lawsuit and federal charges and has not gotten a response.
MORE: Former University of Michigan football coach indicted for hacking accounts, downloading 'intimate' photos
The University of Michigan and the Regents of the University of Michigan are also named as defendants in the lawsuit, which alleged that as a result of their "recklessness and negligence," Weiss downloaded the women's "personal, intimate digital photographs and videos."
The lawsuit alleges the university violated Title XI and that its "deliberate indifference to protection against the invasion of privacy for female athletes created a heightened risk of sexual harassment."
"Plaintiffs are embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated, and mortified that their private information has been access[ed] by total strangers and third parties," the lawsuit stated.
In response to the lawsuit, Kay Jarvis, the director of public affairs for the University of Michigan, said in a statement to ABC News, "We have not been served with the complaint and cannot comment on pending litigation."
The lawsuit alleges that Weiss was able to gain unauthorized access to the student-athlete databases of more than 100 colleges and universities maintained by Keffer Development Services, LLC, a Pennsylvania-based company, and downloaded the personally identifiable information and medical data of over 150,000 athletes.
He is then accused of gaining access to the social media, email, and/or cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 "targeted athletes," including the plaintiffs, by guessing or resetting their passwords, according to the lawsuit.
"Once he obtained access to the accounts of targeted athletes, Weiss searched for and downloaded personal, intimate photographs and videos that were not publicly shared, including but not limited to Plaintiffs and others similar to them," the lawsuit alleged.
Weiss illegally gained access to the accounts of more than 1,300 additional students or alumni from universities across the country, the lawsuit alleged.
Keffer is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which alleged that the company's "misconduct, negligence, and recklessness also contributed to Weiss invading the privacy of Plaintiffs and their fellow student athletes." ABC News has reached out to the company for comment.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the two plaintiffs and as a potential class action on behalf of other alleged victims. The number of potential class members is unclear but is estimated to exceed 1,000, the lawsuit stated.
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Weiss, 42, was arraigned Monday on 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf, The Associated Press reported. His attorney, Douglas Mullkoff, declined to comment to the AP following the proceeding.
He was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond, ESPN reported.
If convicted, Weiss could face up to five years in prison on each count of unauthorized access and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft, according to the attorney's office.
Michigan fired Weiss in January 2023. Athletic Director Warde Manuel said in a statement the termination came "after a review of University policies."
Weiss acknowledged an "ongoing investigation" and told ESPN at the time of his firing that he was "fully cooperating."
"I have nothing but respect for the University of Michigan and the people who make it such a great place," Weiss tweeted after his firing. "I look forward to putting this matter behind me and returning my focus to the game I love."
Weiss started his career at Michigan as a quarterbacks coach in 2021 and then became co-offensive coordinator as well the following year. Before that, he worked as a coach in various capacities for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens from 2009 to 2020.
ABC News' Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.
Lawsuit filed against former Michigan coach in alleged hacking case originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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