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In its response to a Michigan Open Meetings Act lawsuit, University of Michigan attorneys still won't say why the university called a special session the morning of Feb. 3. And U-M attorneys say the school doesn't have to.
U-M alumnus Robert Davis sued the U-M Board of Regents in Washtenaw County Circuit Court on Feb. 18, alleging violations of the state Open Meetings Act, the law that spells out circumstances under which public bodies can hold closed meetings.
Citing media reports, Davis claimed the meeting was called to discuss an NCAA probe into the school's football program. He argues in the lawsuit the meeting should have been public.
U-M attorneys filed a response March 22, acknowledging the meeting was held as a special informal session in U-M President Mary Sue Coleman's conference room. The session, the response to the suit says, was "an attorney-client privileged communication" and was not subject to public viewing or review.
U-M lawyers, from both its office of general counsel and the Butzel Long firm, go a step further, calling the Open Meetings Act an "unconstitutional infringement upon the Regents' autonomy and authority over the general supervision of the University of Michigan."
University of Michigan alumnus Robert Davis sued the U-M Board of Regents, alleging violations of the Michigan Open Meetings Act, the law that spells out circumstances under which public bodies can hold closed meetings.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Michigan’s football program faces possible NCAA sanctions after an investigation revealed five potential major rules violations concerning in- and out-of-season practice time, U-M officials announced Feb. 23. The university is expected to go before the NCAA Committee on Infractions in August.
The U-M Board of Regents often hold closed-door meetings; the university, a $5.2 billion-dollar-a-year-operation, has defended the practice as legal.
Juliana Keeping covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
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