Judge Warns Those Leaking University of Michigan Sex Assault Settlement Info to Reporters

A federal judge said she won’t hesitate to punish those leaking information to media about confidential settlements in a University of Michigan sexual assault case.

U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts is overseeing the mass tort case in which at least 50 former University of Michigan students allege the college ignored the alleged abuse of campus sports doctor Robert E. Anderson, Law360 reports. The parties have been in mediation on the case since October last year. 

Anderson worked at the University of Michigan from 1966 to 2003 and died in 2008. Since his death, former students of the university have come forward to allege decades of abuse by the doctor, who worked in the college’s athletic department from 1981 to 1999.

A recent report by law firm WilmerHale , commissioned by the university, found that Anderson molested hundreds of students over decades, and that the university ignored warnings dating back to 1975.

The university is currently facing several lawsuits, including a proposed class action, alleging that for decades the school ignored reports by students that Anderson abused them during medical exams. More than 230 former patients of the doctor have also filed lawsuits against the university in federal court in Michigan.

In the mass tort case, Roberts reportedly said Tuesday that confidential settlement details had been leaked to reporters, threatening to jeopardize the legal process. In an eight-page order, she said leaks stop trust from developing, which is necessary for negotiations.

“The court regards the communication of any settlement/mediation information to those outside of our confidential process as egregious and potentially sanctionable breaches of our rules of engagement, this court’s local rules, the federal rules, and ethical obligations imposed on all attorneys in this case,” she wrote in the order.

She said she would not hesitate to enforce sanctions if there were more leaks. Sanctions could include fines, payment of the other party’s attorneys fees, or even dismissal of the case. 

If she heard of any more confidential settlement leaks to reporters, she said she would make the lawyers and clients certify under oath that it wasn’t them. 

Large educational organizations around the country have faced thousands of sexual misconduct lawsuits in recent years. 

These organizations include universities like the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California. Formal organizations like the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America have also come under fire. After recent allegations came to light of a University of Michigan cover-up, the college is in the process of revising its sexual misconduct policy.

What do you think of the judge’s warning to the parties in this case? Let us know in the comments!

The plaintiffs are represented by lead counsel from the Mike Cox Law Firm PLLC, Wright & Schulte LLC, Grewal Law PLLC and Drew Cooper & Anding. The plaintiffs steering committee is made up of attorneys from Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers, Dalton & Associates PA, Estey & Bomberger, Flood Law, Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace, Manly Stewart & Finaldi, Marko Law, Shea Law PLLC, Wahlberg Woodruff Nimmo & Sloane LLP, White Law PLLC and Wright & Schulte.

The University of Michigan Dr. Anderson Torts Case is John Doe MC-1 v. the University of Michigan et al., Case No. 2:20-cv-10568, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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