University of Michigan paid firm $1.3 million for internal investigation

Education

Bradenton Herald

The University of Michigan paid about $1.3 million to New York law firm Patterson Belknap for an internal investigation connected to former chief financial officer Geoffrey Chatas, according to invoices and an engagement letter released to The Detroit News. The invoices cover work from July through early December 2025. Chatas's personnel file shows no findings or disciplinary action, and the university denied a records request for the investigation findings citing attorney-client privilege. Officials would not say whether others were investigated. The case echoes a prior $12 million athletics probe that produced no formal report, prompting transparency concerns.

University paid about $1.3 million and withheld investigation findings