The University of Michigan has hired the New York law firm Patterson Belknap to investigate allegations that Regent Jordan Acker set lewd text messages about a Democratic strategist and a female U-M student, which included her picture.
The firm lists among its specialties litigation, disputes and investigations.
The allegations, reported last week in The Guardian, a U.K.-based media outlet, came just days before Acker sought the Michigan Democratic Party’s nomination for another eight-year term on the Board of Regents.
Acker is Jewish and has voiced support for Israel. His home and office were vandalized with spray-painted anti-Israel messages after the 2024 Hamas attack on Israel and the Israel military’s invasion of Gaza.
On Sunday, Acker lost his nomination bid to Dearborn lawyer Amir Makled, who defended pro-Palestine protesters at U-M. Acker’s term expires at the end of this year.
The school initially said the investigation would be handled internally, but Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Internal Communications Paul Corliss clarified late Tuesday that the school would seek an outside firm.
Corliss told the Free Press in a text message Wednesday, April 22, that Patterson Belknap would handle the investigation and he encouraged anyone with information about the matter to contact the firm confidentially by phone at 212-336-2083 or via email: UMconcerns@bpwt.com.
A copy of the letter of engagement and fee schedule was not immediately available.
Acker didn’t reply to a Free Press request for comment. His lawyer told The Guardian that Acker has never been on Slack, the messaging platform referenced in the story, and doubts “the authenticity of alleged ‘Slack screengrabs.’”
U-M has already spent more than $4 million with the law firm of Jenner Block on an investigation of its athletic department following the firing of former head football coach Sherrone Moore.
Records obtained by the Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act show that one attorney working on that investigation was billing U-M more than $2,400 an hour.
Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U-M hires New York law firm to investigate Regent Jordan Acker
Reporting by John Wisely, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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