August 19, 2014

Liz M. Barry
Special Counsel to President r. Mar! S. Sc"lissel
#ni$ersity o% Mic"igan
20&4 'le(ing Ad(inistration Building
)0* +"o(pson Street
Ann Ar,or, Mic"igan 4-109.1*40
ear Ms. Barry/
Please %ind attac"ed a t"ree.page letter dated August 4, 2014 to (e %ro( t"e uni$ersity0s 'reedo( o%
1n%or(ation Act coordinator, Patricia 2. Sellinger, denying (y 2uly 14, 2014 '31A re4uest.
+"is is to appeal t"at decision on t"e grounds t"at t"e denial "as no ,asis and (ay constitute a $iolation
o% t"e Mic"igan 'reedo( o% 1n%or(ation Act.
5ere0s Ms. Sellinger0s entire e6planation %or denying (y re4uest/
Any responsi$e records t"at e6ist are r. Mar!el0s personal records, and not pu,lic records
pursuant to t"e Mic"igan 'reedo( o% 1n%or(ation Act.
Ms. Sellinger %ails to pro$ide any description o% t"e responsi$e records 7"ic", as s"e0s presu(a,ly
a7are, include e.(ails sent to and %ro( r. Mar!el0s uni$ersity e.(ail address "o7ard8u(ic".edu and
al(ost certainly are su,9ect to Mic"igan0s '31A Act.
'urt"er, "ere0s a screen s"ot %ro( t"e article t"at0s central to (y '31A re4uest, How Dr. Heimlich got
his maneuver 40 years ago, ,y r. 5o7ard Mar!el, PBS :e7s5our, 2une 1;, 2014, 7"ic" pro(inently
identi%ies "i( as a uni$ersity e(ployee/
5ere0s a screens"ot %ro( How a Boy Became the First to Beat Back Diabetes dated 2une 11, 2011,
apparently t"e %irst o% dozens o% colu(ns r. Mar!el "as 7ritten %or t"e PBS :e7s5our, all o% 7"ic"
identi%y "i( as a uni$ersity e(ployee/
1n ot"er 7ords, %or at least t"ree years, r. Mar!el "as represented "i(sel% to PBS :e7s5our0s
audience as a uni$ersity e(ployee and it0s %ar %ro( unreasona,le to assu(e t"at "is pro(inent position
at t"e uni$ersity 7as a %actor in t"e :e7s5our0s decision to "ire "i(.
'urt"er, r. Mar!el appears to regularly corresponds 7it" "is :e7s5our producer, Margaret Myers,
$ia "is uni$ersity e.(ail account. 1, too, corresponded 7it" r. Mar!el $ia "is uni$ersity e.(ail account
regarding "is <5ei(lic"= colu(n and "e used "is uni$ersity account to %or7ard (y e.(ail to Ms. Myers.
r. Mar!el also appears to "a$e used "is uni$ersity e.(ail account to correspond 7it" PBS
3(,uds(an Mic"ael >etler %or "is 2uly 2, 2014 ,log ite(, Warning: Chewing on This ay Cause
Choking, in order to respond to 4uestions regarding t"e researc", reporting, and editing o% "is
<5ei(lic"= article.
+"ere%ore, it stands to reason t"at r. Mar!el (ay "a$e used "is uni$ersity e.(ail account and ot"er
uni$ersity ser$ices in t"e researc", 7riting, and editing o% t"e dozens o% ot"er PBS :e7s5our stories
t"at "a$e appeared under "is ,yline, eac" o% 7"ic", as 10$e pointed out, include an aut"or0s description
"ig"lig"ting "is a%%iliation 7it" your sc"ool.
+"ere%ore, Ms. Sellinger0s clai( t"at t"e records responsi$e to (y '31A re4uest <are r. Mar!el0s
personal records= appears ,aseless and suggests s"e (ay not "a$e ade4uately re$ie7ed t"e docu(ents 1
re4uested.
'inally, t"e re4uested records are clearly a (atter o% pu,lic interest. r. Mar!el is pro(inent, t"ere%ore
people 7ould ,e interested to learn a,out "o7 "e pursues "is 7riting. Along t"ose lines, "is perceptions
a,out (y %at"er, 5enry 2. 5ei(lic" M, anot"er 7ell.!no7n (edical na(e, and "o7 r. Mar!el
approac"ed t"e su,9ect are certainly o% pu,lic interest.
'or e6a(ple, in "is <5ei(lic"= colu(n, r. Mar!el addresses so(e o% (y %at"er0s contro$ersial (edical
clai(s ?7"ic" since 200* "a$e ,een t"e su,9ect o% dozens o% print and ,roadcast (edia reports in t"e
#.S. and a,road@, suc" as/
'or se$eral years, r. 5ei(lic" also ad$ocated treating patients 7it" cancer, 51A and Ly(e
disease ,y in%ecting t"e( 7it" (alaria ,ut ,ot" "is t"eories and researc" on t"is issue "a$e long
since ,een discredited ,y ot"er scientists and p"ysicians.
My %at"er0s so.called <(alariot"erapy= e6peri(ents are an ongoing su,9ect o% considera,le pu,lic
interest. 'or e6a(ple, last 7ee!0s 5olly7ood Beporter pu,lis"ed How Dr. Heimlich aneuvere!
Hollywoo! "nto Backing His Dangerous #"D$ %Cure% a,out "o7 (y %at"er con$inced actor 2ac!
:ic"olson, director Bon 5o7ard, and dozens o% ot"er cele,rities and top entertain(ent industry
pro%essionals to donate "undreds o% t"ousands o% dollars to %und $iolati$e, unsuper$ised e6peri(ents in
C"ina in 7"ic" A1S patients, including prisoners, 7ere in%ected 7it" (alaria.
Learning "o7 r. Mar!el approac"ed t"at and ot"er aspects o% "is <5ei(lic"= article clearly ,ene%its
t"e pu,lic ,y "elping people understand "o7 a leading "istorian c"ooses a c"allenging topic, t"en
researc"es and 7rites a,out it.
'inally, per PBS 3(,uds(an >etlers0s ,log, t"e researc"ing, 7riting, and editing o% r. Mar!el0s
<5ei(lic"= colu(n is o% pu,lic interest %ro( a 9ournalis( perspecti$e.
+"an! you %or your attention to (y appeal and 1 loo! %or7ard to your response. Please %eel %ree to
correspond 7it" (e $ia e.(ail.
Sincerely,
Peter M. 5ei(lic"
*;*0 Bi$er 5ollo7 Bun
ulut", >A *009;
p"/ ?20-@4&4.&2-*
e.(ail/ Peter.5ei(lic"8g(ail.co(
7e,site/ "ttp/CC(ed%raud.in%o
,log/ "ttp/CCt"e.side,ar.co(
cc/ Bill Sc"uette, Mic"igan Attorney >eneral