Paige Shiver, the former executive assistant and mistress of ex-University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, has filed a lawsuit against the university. Shiver's suit, lodged in Washtenaw County court, claims the school violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by denying her requests for records after Moore was fired.
Shiver and her attorneys are seeking punitive damages and access to requested records. "It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out," said attorney Andrew M. Stroth. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Moore led the Wolverines for two seasons before Jim Harbaugh departed for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. Moore was fired in December after an alleged confrontation with Shiver, with whom he was having an affair. Sources indicated Shiver had ended the affair and had spoken to school officials about it prior to the confrontation.
In April, Moore pleaded no contest to charges of trespassing and malicious use of a telecom device and was placed on 18 months probation. Shiver did not attend the hearing, stating at the time that the sentence "does not reflect the harm done to me."
Moore's plea deal followed efforts by his attorney to challenge the evidence gathering for his arrest warrant. The defense argued that police had not disclosed the professional relationship between Moore and Shiver, which included communications via calls and text messages.
Shiver's attorney, Julie Murphy, submitted a series of FOIA requests to the university between February and June, seeking the investigative file related to Moore's dismissal, all of which were reportedly denied. Stroth stated that the university paid $12 million to Jenner & Block for an investigation into the Moore situation, as well as alleged abuse, Title IX, and Title VII violations within the athletic department, yet has refused to release the findings.