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LANSING, MI — An Ingham County judge has dismissed the lawsuit Brenda Tracy, a national advocate for abuse survivors, filed against former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker.
Tracy sued Tucker in October 2024 and claimed that he intentionally tried to ruin her public image and reputation with false statements, including his claims that she made up sexual harassment allegations in a plot to extort him and the school for money. Earlier this month, Tucker's attorneys filed a motion asking Judge Wanda Stokes to dismiss the lawsuit.
Tracy filed her lawsuit against Tucker more than a year after MSU fired him for cause following a university investigation that ultimately determined he sexually harassed Tracy during an April 2022 phone call when he masturbated without her consent. Tucker has maintained that he and Tracy had a mutual, consensual relationship.
The for-cause firing means MSU is not obligated to pay the roughly $75 million in salary that remained on his contract, university officials have argued. Tucker is suing the school, claiming that his firing was improper and therefore he's owed the remaining salary.
During a hearing on Jan. 28, Stokes granted Tucker's motion and dismissed Tracy's nine-count lawsuit, finding that claims were either barred by statutes of limitation or that there was no factual issue for a jury to consider. An appeal of Stokes' ruling in a separate lawsuit Tracy filed against Tucker in 2023, which contained similar counts, is still pending with the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Andrew Abood, one of Tucker's attorneys, said after the hearing that he felt the ruling vindicated his client.
"Unfortunately, Mel Tucker's stay at Michigan State University will be long remembered not for his two victories against (the University of) Michigan but for, you know, this occasion," he said. "But he can put this behind him."
Karen Truszkowski, Tracy's attorney, declined to comment after the hearing.
There have been at least four state or federal lawsuits related to Tucker's firing, including at least two between Tucker and Tracy. Tucker is suing MSU in federal court for his remaining salary. Tracy is suing the MSU Board of Trustees in federal court and claims members leaked her name to reporters before the sexual harassment investigation became public in a USA TODAY story.
The 2023 lawsuit between Tracy and Tucker centered around text messages between Tracy and her friend, Ahlan Alvarado, that were released by Tucker's attorneys. Alvarado, who has since died, was Tracy's friend of two decades and also worked as her booking assistant for her nonprofit, Set The Expectation.
Stokes dismissed that lawsuit in May 2024 when she ruled that attorneys for Tracy's nonprofit had not met legal standards for the lawsuit to proceed to discovery.
Tucker's federal lawsuit against MSU, which he filed in July 2024, is also ongoing.
In November, MSU fired football coach Jonathan Smith, who was hired in November 2023 as Tucker's successor. The university announced on Dec. 1 that it hired former Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace Smith.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Brenda Tracy lawsuit against former MSU coach Mel Tucker dismissed by judge
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Tracy sued Tucker in October 2024 and claimed that he intentionally tried to ruin her public image and reputation with false statements, including his claims that she made up sexual harassment allegations in a plot to extort him and the school for money. Earlier this month, Tucker's attorneys filed a motion asking Judge Wanda Stokes to dismiss the lawsuit.
Tracy filed her lawsuit against Tucker more than a year after MSU fired him for cause following a university investigation that ultimately determined he sexually harassed Tracy during an April 2022 phone call when he masturbated without her consent. Tucker has maintained that he and Tracy had a mutual, consensual relationship.
The for-cause firing means MSU is not obligated to pay the roughly $75 million in salary that remained on his contract, university officials have argued. Tucker is suing the school, claiming that his firing was improper and therefore he's owed the remaining salary.
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During a hearing on Jan. 28, Stokes granted Tucker's motion and dismissed Tracy's nine-count lawsuit, finding that claims were either barred by statutes of limitation or that there was no factual issue for a jury to consider. An appeal of Stokes' ruling in a separate lawsuit Tracy filed against Tucker in 2023, which contained similar counts, is still pending with the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Andrew Abood, one of Tucker's attorneys, said after the hearing that he felt the ruling vindicated his client.
"Unfortunately, Mel Tucker's stay at Michigan State University will be long remembered not for his two victories against (the University of) Michigan but for, you know, this occasion," he said. "But he can put this behind him."
Karen Truszkowski, Tracy's attorney, declined to comment after the hearing.
There have been at least four state or federal lawsuits related to Tucker's firing, including at least two between Tucker and Tracy. Tucker is suing MSU in federal court for his remaining salary. Tracy is suing the MSU Board of Trustees in federal court and claims members leaked her name to reporters before the sexual harassment investigation became public in a USA TODAY story.
You must be registered for see images
The 2023 lawsuit between Tracy and Tucker centered around text messages between Tracy and her friend, Ahlan Alvarado, that were released by Tucker's attorneys. Alvarado, who has since died, was Tracy's friend of two decades and also worked as her booking assistant for her nonprofit, Set The Expectation.
Stokes dismissed that lawsuit in May 2024 when she ruled that attorneys for Tracy's nonprofit had not met legal standards for the lawsuit to proceed to discovery.
Tucker's federal lawsuit against MSU, which he filed in July 2024, is also ongoing.
In November, MSU fired football coach Jonathan Smith, who was hired in November 2023 as Tucker's successor. The university announced on Dec. 1 that it hired former Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace Smith.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Brenda Tracy lawsuit against former MSU coach Mel Tucker dismissed by judge
Continue reading...
