Student Achieves Landmark Victory After Being Accused of Cheating by Professor

Student Wins Legal Battle Against University Over AI Thesis Accusations

A student from New York State University has successfully contested allegations made by a university professor regarding the use of artificial intelligence in writing his thesis, according to court documents.

Orion Newby emerged victorious in a ruling on January 28, where Nassau County State Supreme Court Judge Randy Sue Marber dismissed the sanctions imposed by Adelphi University and mandated the university to completely remove references to his academic record, as reported by Newsday. Mark Lesko, a former U.S. attorney who represented Newby, described the ruling as a significant precedent for students seeking fairness in academic cases involving AI.

“A decision was made by a group without complete understanding of a new technology,” remarked Hunter Newby, Orion’s father. The judgment indicated that the university’s cheating allegations lacked any legitimate foundation, and its refusal to appeal was baseless. The Newby family invested over $100,000 in legal fees to vindicate their son. Lesko mentioned that she has encountered other parents experiencing similar challenges at different institutions.

Newby, who has autism, started his journey at Adelphi in the autumn of 2024 and opted to pay extra to join the “Bridges to Adelphi” program, focused on supporting students with autism. His lawsuit claimed that Adelphi breached student rights protocols, did not permit him to consult with an advisor, and underestimated how his autism affected his writing.

The situation escalated when a professor allegedly used AI detection software on Newby’s history paper, resulting in a zero after the tool flagged his work for AI generation, as reported by CBS News New York. The professor utilized Turnitin, which recorded “100% AI-generated” findings, based on court documents reviewed by Newsday.

“I was taken aback. I feared it was the end for me,” Newby shared on February 9. “I didn’t want to carry the label of a plagiarist.”

Jonathan Bailey, who founded the plagiarism detection tool, cautioned that AI detection methods are somewhat mysterious and should be handled with care. “In classic plagiarism checks, people can evaluate the report, see the rationale behind the tool’s conclusions, and then verify or dispute the findings,” he noted. “That’s not possible here.” Turnitin’s own resources acknowledge that there exists a “small risk of false positives.”