11 women file lawsuit against Michigan, ex-OC Matt Weiss in hacking case
11 women file lawsuit against Michigan, ex-OC Matt Weiss in hacking case
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Ex-NFL coach targeted 3,300 students to steal private images: Feds
Ex-Michigan coach Matt Weiss faces federal charges for hacking college students' accounts and accessing private content.
Straight Arrow News
Eleven women filed a class action lawsuit against the University of Michigan and former offensive coordinator Matthew Weiss, who authorities say hacked into computers at more than 100 universities and stole the identity of more than 3,000 students.
According to the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the 11 women are identified as Jane Does, including seven soccer players, two gymnasts and a cheerleader. The other woman is a former volleyball player at the University of Maryland and Loyola University in Chicago.
The Regents of the University of Michigan and Keffer Development Services are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
"This case marks yet another disturbing failure by the University of Michigan to protect its students – particularly student-athletes – from serious breaches of privacy and trust. For nearly a decade, individuals connected to the University have suffered the unauthorized access and misuse of their personal information, allegedly by former football co-offensive coordinator Matthew Weiss and enabled by institutional negligence," attorneys Megan Bonanni and Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller said in a statement.
The women say they have suffered significant and severe damages and seek compensation, which the lawsuit says could exceed $50 million.
MORE: Jim Harbaugh reacts to hacking allegations facing former Michigan assistant Matt Weiss
Last month, Weiss was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, and faces a maximum of five years imprisonment on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft. Weiss's alleged crimes spanned from 2015-2023, and authorities say he is accused of downloading confidential information of more than 150,000 student-athletes, targeting mostly female college athletes.
"Through this scheme, unknown to account holders, Weiss downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos," the indictment said. "His goal was to obtain private photographs and videos never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners" and "kept notes on individuals whose photographs and videos that he viewed, including notes commenting on their bodies and sexual preferences."
A total of five federal lawsuits have been filed against Michigan and Weiss, who worked for the Baltimore Ravens before becoming Michigan's quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.
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