A federal judge says the University of Michigan is wasting public money and shielding its president from appearing in court in a sexual misconduct case.
Judge Arthur Tarnow called for U of M president Mark Schlissel to appear for a public settlement conference in a case involving a U of M graduate student.
The graduate student is accused of sexual misconduct.
He denies the allegations and is suing the university after U of M froze his undergraduate degree and academic transcript before the school completed its investigation.
The case was originally slated to be heard in a closed courtroom, which the university agreed to, but Tarnow reversed his decision citing public interest.
The university then filed a last-minute request with the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals block Schlissel's appearance at the hearing. The appeals court agreed to delay the hearing.
Tarnow wrote in a brief that the university is more concerned with keeping the president out of the public eye than resolving sexual misconduct cases.
The case comes after a federal ruling that requires universities to allow cross-examination in sexual misconduct hearings.
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