An undergraduate at the University of Michigan has launched a federal court fight, claiming the university confused disability-linked writing habits with AI-generated prose and slapped her with a “No Record” grade that could derail her graduation. According to the complaint, the student was accused multiple times last fall of using artificial intelligence and was sanctioned by the Office of Student Academic Affairs with disciplinary probation and a reflective essay. The lawsuit asks a judge to preserve her academic record, pause any new penalties while the dispute plays out, and require a disability-informed appeals process.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the case identifies the plaintiff only as “Jane Doe” and names a graduate student instructor along with several officials from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and OSAA as defendants, according to Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The suit seeks unspecified damages and aims to stop what it calls “ongoing and imminent transcript and graduation harm” while the litigation is pending. It also asks the court to bar the sharing of any negative notations related to the case and to order a prompt appeal process that takes the student’s disabilities into account.
The court filing states that the student has documented diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and that the university had been notified of those disabilities by early February 2025, according to CBS News. The complaint argues that writing traits tied to those conditions, including “formal tone, meticulous structure, stylistic consistency, and heightened distress during oral confrontation,” were treated as red flags for AI use instead of disability-related characteristics. It also claims the university moved ahead with discipline without providing the disability supports the student requested.
What the student is asking for
The lawsuit asks the court to freeze the student’s transcript in place by blocking any new negative annotations and to halt further academic penalties while the appeal is heard. It contends that at least one instructor relied on “AI-generated comparison outputs” that were created by feeding the student’s own outlines and feedback into an AI system, a circular approach the complaint calls unreliable. Those procedural allegations and the resulting sanctions are detailed in reporting by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Appeal, OCR review and university response
According to the complaint, the student filed a formal appeal on Dec. 24, 2025, and at the same time submitted a joint civil-rights complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and to U-M’s Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office. The filing notes that the federal education office later issued a written dismissal on Jan. 2, CBS News reports. While that review was underway, the student says, OSAA kept the “No Record” grade and related sanctions in place, a situation she argues is causing irreparable academic harm. The lawsuit asks the court to stop the university from sharing the disciplinary finding and to require the disability-informed process the student says she requested but did not receive.
Why this matters beyond one classroom
Across higher education, experts and instructors have been warning that treating AI flags as smoking-gun evidence can backfire. Independent evaluations and policy guidance highlight low accuracy rates and significant false-positive risks when AI detectors or informal AI checks are treated as definitive proof of cheating. A peer-reviewed study in the International Journal for Educational Integrity and guidance from UNH’s Teaching & Learning Resource Hub both note that AI indicators should not be the sole basis for disciplinary action and call for clearer policies and built-in accommodations for students with disabilities…