AFT Michigan Settles Long Legal Battle with Project Veritas Over Infiltration

Agreement Will Deter Project Veritas from Again Attempting to Infiltrate a Labor Organization

DETROIT—AFT Michigan Reaches Settlement with Project Veritas

AFT Michigan has concluded its legal battle against Project Veritas and its operative Marisa L. Jorge with a comprehensive settlement agreement. The litigation, which has spanned nearly a decade, was initiated after Jorge assumed a false identity in 2017, posing as a University of Michigan education student to infiltrate AFT Michigan as an intern with the intention of collecting information for a campaign against the union.

This settlement follows a federal judge's decision in March, which granted summary judgment in favor of AFT Michigan on charges of trespass and fraudulent misrepresentation. Although the terms of the settlement remain confidential, it is expected to prevent Project Veritas from attempting similar infiltrations in the future.

AFT Michigan President Terrence Martin remarked on the settlement, stating, “I’m proud of what this settlement represents about our leaders and staff. The spy who infiltrated our union was hoping to dig up embarrassing information on us but found instead how hard everyone at AFT Michigan works to represent our members. Nine years later, AFT Michigan has almost doubled in size—amplifying our voices on behalf of our members and those we serve—while Project Veritas is nearly gone.”

Randi Weingarten, President of AFT, also commented: “Nearly a decade ago, Project Veritas, a conservative hit group known for its use of deceptive and dirty tactics, infiltrated our affiliate in an attempt to embarrass educators and their union and discredit public education. They thought they could break us, but we exposed their tactics and fought for the truth. And as we now settle this lawsuit, the once well-funded Project Veritas is virtually defunct while the AFT is thriving. We are grateful that this long-running legal battle has concluded, and we will continue to fight for the promise of public schools and oppose reckless and unethical behavior from ideologues whose sole purpose is to undermine them.”

The AFT at a Glance

The American Federation of Teachers represents 1.875 million members, including pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals, other school-related personnel, higher education faculty and professional staff, federal, state, and local government employees, nurses, healthcare workers, and early childhood educators.

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