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Woman sues MSU, former MSU medical resident, former dean

January 28, 2020
<p>Michael Phinn reads his testimony before the judge, which included apologies to his wife and son for behaving the way he did. Phinn&#x27;s trial took place in Ingham County on Sept. 18. </p>

Michael Phinn reads his testimony before the judge, which included apologies to his wife and son for behaving the way he did. Phinn's trial took place in Ingham County on Sept. 18.

Photo by Lauren DeMay | The State News

Former MSU medical resident Michael Phinn and former Dean of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine William Strampel are being sued due to an incident in which a woman's private intimate photos were allegedly hacked and obtained by Phinn, according to court records.

During his residency at Sparrow Medical Center between mid-2017 and to "at least December of 2018," Phinn allegedly hacked computers at Sparrow and obtained private photos without consent, according to the complaint.

Phinn was under the primary supervision of and trained under Strampel and the university. Therefore, they are cited as defendants, according to court records.

Strampel stepped down from his position on medical leave in December 2017. Strampel served as dean of the college since 2002.  

Strampel was sentenced to one year in Ingham County jail in August 2019. Strampel was deemed guilty of misconduct in office and two counts of willful neglect in accordance with his role as ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar's boss in June 2019. Strampel subsequently permanently lost his medical license in December 2019.

The plaintiff cites MSU in regards to Title IX violations, according to court records.

"The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has explained that Title IX covers all programs of a school, and extends to sexual harassment and assault by employees, students, and third parties," the complaint filed by the plaintiff read.

Violation of the 14th amendment under both MSU and Phinn, failure to train and supervise under both MSU and Strampel and invasion of privacy by Phinn are also cited within the complaint, according to court documents.

Phinn was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for second-degree criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit sexual contact, unauthorized access of a computer and use of a computer to commit a crime in September 2019.

The plaintiff demands a jury trial in relation to the alleged incident involving her private photos, according to court documents.

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