Another outside law firm hired by Michigan over Sherrone Moore scandal

A Weil spokesman did not immediately answer Free Press questions on Friday.

Last year, the university hired Jenner & Block amid the Moore scandal. Moore was fired in December after his executive assistant, Paige Shiver, told university officials they engaged in a longstanding consensual relationship. Moore went to Shiver's home the same day he was fired, an encounter that prompted multiple criminal charges.

Moore, 40, recently pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months probation. But in multiple statements, Shiver contends others at the university knew about the affair far before Moore's dismissal.

After initially hiring Jenner & Block to examine what happened with Moore, university leaders confirmed expanding the scope of the inquiry to explore the entire culture of the athletic department.

Invoices obtained by the Free Press in March showed U-M has paid Jenner & Block at least $6 million for their work. It's still not clear how much the final bill will be or when the investigation will be complete.

The Free Press recently filed a request under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act for any findings from the Jenner & Block investigation. U-M has not responded to this request, but denied a similar request in the past, indicating at the time there were no findings yet.

Earlier this week, U-M also confirmed hiring New York law firm Patterson Belknap to investigate allegations that Regent Jordan Acker sent lewd text messages about a Democratic strategist and a female U-M student, which included her picture.

The Guardian initially reported on the messages. Acker didn't reply to a Free Press request for comment, but his lawyer told the The Guardian his client doubts the authenticity of the alleged screengrabs.

This is a developing story. Check www.freep.com for updates as they become available.

Staff writer John Wisely contributed to this report.

Reach Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan hires another outside law firm for Sherrone Moore scandal