A federal lawsuit filed on April 13, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan adds 40 new plaintiffs, bringing the total to 42, against former University of Michigan football co-defensive coordinator Matthew Weiss. The plaintiffs allege that Weiss accessed a database maintained by Keffer, which contained personal and medical data for over 150,000 student-athletes from more than 100 universities. He is accused of using this data to hack into the email, social media, and cloud storage accounts of more than 3,000 student-athletes. Prosecutors say Weiss downloaded private and intimate images and videos, primarily targeting female student-athletes. Federal charges were filed against him in March 2025.

McKenzie Johnson, a former softball player at Grambling State University and Texas resident, is the first plaintiff to be named publicly in the case. She is not affiliated with the University of Michigan.  The other 41 plaintiffs are referred to anonymously as Jane Doe. The lawsuit accuses the University of Michigan and Keffer of failing to implement adequate cybersecurity protocols and not conducting thorough background checks on Weiss.

Plaintiffs are seeking a court-ordered preliminary injunction requiring that all private data from the Weiss investigation be transferred to a neutral forensic data security firm. They also asked that this firm directly communicate with affected individuals regarding their private information. The complaint alleges the university had possession of intimate photos and videos retrieved during the investigation and failed to notify Johnson and others about the breach, thereby allowing further risk of dissemination. The lawsuit states that Johnson was notified by the U.S. Department of Justice, not the University of Michigan, about Weiss’s alleged access to her data. Johnson claims she had no opportunity to protect her information due to the university’s lack of communication.

At least 61 individuals have now filed eight lawsuits in federal court in Michigan related to Weiss’s alleged misconduct. Plaintiffs come from at least seven institutions: University of Michigan, UM Dearborn, University of Maryland, Loyola University, University of Bridgeport, Rollins College, and Grambling State University. . The plaintiffs' legal team, including attorney Jon Marko of Marko Law PLLC, claims the University of Michigan cannot be trusted to securely handle the sensitive materials involved. . Weiss and his legal counsel, Douglas Mullkoff, have not yet commented publicly on the latest lawsuit.