OU, NonDoc Media Present Arguments In Court Regarding Findings of Taxpayer-Funded University Investigations

The University of Oklahoma and NonDoc Media, a nonprofit Oklahoma news organization, are in court on Friday to present arguments regarding transparency at the university.

The case stems from allegations made against OU and its leadership in 2018, including sexual misconduct involving former president David Boren and fabricated data regarding university donors.

Investigations into both, paid for by taxpayers, were conducted by the university along with the law firm Jones Day.

In 2019, allegations surfaced in a sexual misconduct investigation against Boren and then-vice president Tripp Hall after a former OU student accused Boren of inappropriately touching and kissing him.

The two former university leaders were not indicted.

OU later released a few reports to the accuser, revealing additional witnesses; however, OU refused to release the findings.

The law firm also denied access to the firm's prior investigation into allegations of donor misreporting against the university.

OU was delisted from national rankings over the fabricated donor data.

Around $1 million in taxpayer funds were spent to pay for the investigations conducted by the university, and now NonDoc is fighting for public access to the findings.

The university asked a Cleveland County judge to keep the media out of the courtroom, a request the judge denied.

As oral arguments begin, the university is trying to convince the judge to seal all records, while NonDoc argues that since public funds paid for the investigation, the findings should be made public.