Award-Winning Michigan Professor Accused of Sexually Assaulting Students

A University of Michigan Professor of the Year had a dark side the University knew about for years, according to the seven women who say Professor Bruce Conforth sexually assaulted them.

Although Conforth taught at U of M until 2017, students say his deviant ways were first reported in 2008. Seven women have shared similar stories of how Conforth sought to control them, have sex with them, and make them feel sorry for him. Conforth’s modus operandi involved luring young women in by posing to be a mentor, or a “tribal elder,” as he called it. He also lured students in with spiritual, ritualistic, and occult connections, telling several students he was a highly-ranked member of the Illuminati. Quickly after gaining the young woman’s trust, he’d come onto her very aggressively, both romantically and sexually. This tactic left his much-younger-than-he students incredibly anxious and confused.

While the University knew about Conforth’s predatory behavior early on, students did not. Sadly, Conforth’s reputation during his time Michigan was not blemished at all. Students were desperate to enroll in his classes in the American Culture department. The founding curator of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and 2012 Teacher of the Year Award recipient’s classes were so hard to get in, it’s said one had to personally email or attend his office hours to make the cut.

Despite leaving behind a trail of abuse and destruction, Conforth taught at the University for 16 years before being allowed to quietly retire. In the worst instance of Conforth’s sexual abuse, one woman says she was raped in his off-campus apartment. Another woman was coerced into performing sexual favors, and yet another was forcibly kissed without her consent.

All of the women describe being relentlessly pursued for several years by Conforth, who even threatened to kill himself in an apparent effort to manipulate and control his victims.

Six women have filed Notice of Intent to Sue letters against the University of Michigan and Bruce Conforth, with a seventh woman in the process of joining them. Grewal Law proudly represents all of them.

Grewal Law represented a third of the plaintiffs in the MSU and Larry Nassar lawsuits, and the Grewal team was instrumental in obtaining the half a billion-dollar settlement from MSU. Currently, the award-winning lawyers at Grewal Law are fighting to hold USAG and USOC accountable for their roles in allowing Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse to occur. In addition, Grewal Law attorneys are working to help hold University of Michigan accountable for allowing Dr. Robert Anderson to sexually abuse over 800 student-athletes, students, and other young people for decades.  The attorneys at Grewal Law understand what it takes to prevail against sexual predators and the companies that allow their sexual misconduct to occur.