A California Professor Is Suing His Own Students in an Attempt To Identify Those Involved in a Cheating Scandal

A professor at Chapman University in Orange, California, is suing an unnamed group of “Does” in federal court as he endeavors to identify those he believes cheated in his business school course.

A student at Chapman University in Orange, California, on Thursday, August 31, 2017. Credit: Getty Images
A student at Chapman University in Orange, California, on Thursday, August 31, 2017. Credit: Getty Images

A California professor is taking the unusual step of suing some of his students, who he claims cheated by posting his midterm and final exams online, per the New York Times.

David Berkovitz, who teaches business law at Chapman University in Orange, California, alleges that a number of his students committed copyright infringement last year when they posted his exams on a website called Course Hero.

 

Berkovitz’s attorney, Mark E. Hankin, is working to subpoena the website to identify the students that were responsible.

“The moral and ethical failing notwithstanding, the real concern is these students are hurting their fellow classmates,” Hankin said to KTLA in an interview, pointing to the fact that many institutionally-issued scholarships are linked to a required GPA.

If successful, Berkovitz plans to pass the names of the culpable students along to the university for possible disciplinary action.

Course Hero’s vice president of academics, Sean Michael Morris, said in an interview, “Our response is always in keeping with the law, so if they produce a subpoena, we will help them with their investigation.”
 

“Professors are free to pursue the removal of their copyright-protected content from websites such as Course Hero. However, we encourage faculty to use internal processes to work through student concerns,” Chapman University observed in a statement.