Student Claims AI Tool Wrongly Triggered His Suspension
Rignol, a French national enrolled in Yale’s Executive MBA program, filed suit on Feb. 3 seeking to overturn what he describes as a “wrongful, discriminatory, and procedurally lawless” one-year suspension and failing grade. He alleges that Yale relied on an unreliable AI detection tool—contrary to its own academic standards—to accuse him of cheating on a final exam.
His 10-count complaint includes claims of breach of contract, national origin discrimination under Title VI, retaliation, defamation, false light, and violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, among other allegations.
Yale Argues the Case Cannot Proceed at All
The defendants’ Sept. 17 motion to stay argued that Rignol’s “claims are weak,” saying their pending dismissal motion is likely to end the case outright and make discovery unnecessary. The filing leans on the Connecticut Supreme Court’s 1996 decision in Gupta v. New Britain General Hospital, contending that courts are barred from second-guessing academic disciplinary decisions.
“Put simply, the law precludes plaintiff from doing what he seeks to do in this lawsuit,” the university wrote.
Rignol countered in an Oct. 8 memo that although he has “returned to the program,” delaying discovery prolongs the “wrongful” stain on his academic record and continues to damage his professional prospects. He argued that the stay only perpetuates the stigma associated with the suspension, which remains visible on his transcript.
