An Ingham County judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed in October 2024 by sexual violence advocate Brenda Tracy against former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker. The lawsuit accused Tucker of defamation and breaking an agreement for Tracy’s planned talk to the MSU football team. Judge Wanda Stokes said there were no factual issues for a jury. Tucker’s attorney, Andrew Abood, said, "The court followed the law, and the law was heavily in Mel Tucker's favor," and Tracy’s attorney, Karen Truszkowski, said they "will likely appeal" the ruling, according to The Detroit News and State News.
The legal battle began in April 2022 when Tracy accused Tucker of making sexual comments and masturbating during a phone call without her consent, leading to a Title IX investigation and Tucker’s dismissal from MSU the following year. Once one of the highest-paid coaches in college sports with a 10-year, $95 million contract, Tucker was swiftly fired for behavior that MSU said "brought public disrespect, contempt and ridicule upon the university; and constitute a material breach of his agreement, and moral turpitude," as reported by WWMT.
Since his termination, Tucker has launched a legal counteroffensive, suing MSU and alleging racial discrimination, breach of contract, and claiming the university fired him without due process. Meanwhile, Brenda Tracy has directed her fight towards MSU and the board of trustees, accusing them of mishandling her complaints and, illegally possessing, and distributing, personal text messages as outlined in her lawsuit. A lawyer himself, Andrew Abood stated, representing Tucker in the federal matter, "Our client is obviously happy with the ruling and wants to put this behind him," as per The Detroit News.
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