University of Michigan student accused of using AI for college papers sues for disability discrimination

A abnormal University of Michigan student claims that her professors discriminated against her by falsely accusing her of using AI to constitute her essays.

In a suit revenge successful national tribunal past week, lawyers for a young female known arsenic 'Jane Doe' accused nan assemblage and individual instructors of treating symptoms of her disablement arsenic telltale signs of AI-based cheating.

They opportunity nan student, who has OCD and worry disorder, presented unspecified "proof" that she had not utilized AI, only to beryllium overruled and blocked from graduating.

"Despite that notice, U-M and its Office of Student Academic Affairs proceeded pinch disciplinary actions without implementing disability-informed accommodations, allowed nan aforesaid accuser to stay nan gatekeeper for grading and remedial work," nan lawyers wrote.

"The accusations were based heavy connected subjective judgments astir Plaintiff’s penning style and connected self-confirming 'AI comparison' outputs generated utilizing Plaintiff’s ain outlines and content."

It is nan latest suit by students who opportunity they were unfairly tarred arsenic plagiarists complete essays that they declare to person written.

In October 2025, a student connected Long Island sued Adelphi College for allegedly branding his ain activity arsenic AI-generated and refusing to let immoderate appeal. One twelvemonth earlier, the parents of a Massachusetts teen sued their son's precocious school for akin reasons.

At nan aforesaid time, teachers and professors opportunity they person been overwhelmed by AI-generated schoolwork that has quickly rendered accepted methods — specified arsenic homework — adjacent to obsolete.

Colleges, too, are reportedly utilizing AI to analyse and measure admittance essays, allowing them to benignant much quickly done tens of thousands of applications.

The 'Jane Doe' suit besides touches connected nan shaky grounds of AI discovery tools, which research suggests are often inaccurate.

According to nan complaint, Doe's coach had publically posted: "I fearfulness that grading has made maine paranoid and inclined to spot AI everywhere."

In November 2025 he allegedly revenge an world misconduct accusation against Doe, claiming he was "immediately suspicious" of nan paper's "unmistakable" AI-esque style.

Doe countered pinch "medical and psychological documentation" explaining that her disabilities — obsessive compulsive upset and generalized worry upset — mightiness sometimes make her look dishonest moreover though she was not.

"Plaintiff’s disabilities impact her expertise to tolerate high-stress world and disciplinary proceedings, peculiarly those requiring unrecorded verbal defense, accelerated processing, and adversarial questioning," nan title reads.

"Plaintiff’s clinicians warned that anxiety- and OCD-related penning traits – specified arsenic a general tone, meticulous structure, stylistic consistency, and highly organized position — whitethorn beryllium misinterpreted arsenic artificial aliases dishonest behavior, and that Plaintiff’s limitations necessitate disability-informed handling of immoderate disciplinary proceedings."

In summary, nan title argues, "Defendants treated disability-related traits and limitations arsenic grounds of guilt and grounded to use disability- informed modifications successful nan world integrity process."

The Independent has asked nan University of Michigan for comment.