Alison Gaudreau, former assistant vice president for advancement at Michigan State University, recently filed a lawsuit against the university and her former boss Kim Tobin, current vice president of university advancement, for retaliation after she reported another employee’s claims of sexual harassment.
The text of the lawsuit, acquired by WILX, claims Tobin punished Gaudreau after she reported a sexual harassment allegation to MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity in July 2024. According to Gaudreau, Tobin reprimanded her for making the report, stating that she should have first worked with their department’s human resources representative to handle the matter internally before taking the claim directly to the Office of Institutional Equity. The suit states “Tobin seemed unduly concerned that a report of sexual harassment coming out of the advancement department . . . would reflect poorly on her.”
The following month, Gaudreau was made aware of a second sexual harassment claim from another employee and again, she reported the claim directly to the Office of Institutional Equity.
According to Gaudreau, Tobin continued to be difficult to work for during this time. In December 2024, Gaudreau took her concerns about being targeted by Tobin to the university’s general counsel’s office and to Marilyn Tarrant, associate vice president and chief audit, risk, and compliance officer.
On January 17, 2025, Tobin fired Gaudreau. According to the suit, no reason for her termination was offered other than Gaudreau’s status as an at-will employee. Notably, Gaudreau had received positive performance reviews prior to her termination.
Gaudreau is now seeking compensation for “lost wages, damages for mental anguish, emotional distress, unfair reputational damage, and undue harm to her career.”