Brenda Tracey speaks out after latest lawsuit involving former Michigan State University coach Mel Tucker
Rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy is suing Michigan State's Board of Trustees for mishandling the case involving former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker.
Tracy accused Tucker of sexual harassment. The allegations became public after a USA Today report in September 2023.
In a sit-down interview with CBS News Detroit on Wednesday, Tracy says she wants justice.
"I'm seeking accountability for what has happened to me. I feel that I've been harmed," she said.
"I was then sexually harassed by a person who pretended to be an ally to survivors of sexual violence. If it wasn't true, would be it would be almost unbelievable, right?"
The 51-page lawsuit filed Tuesday details interactions between Tracy and Mel Tucker dating back to 2021, including a phone call between the two during which Tucker allegedly pleasured himself without her consent.
Tucker has maintained that the pair had a consensual relationship, which Tracy has denied.
The new lawsuit alleges that the Board of Trustees shared information about the investigation into Tracy's sexual harassment complaint, which would breach the university's "duty of care." It explicitly names Trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno as defendants and alleges they likely leaked Tracy's name to new outlets and others.
"I think people underestimate my resilience, and they underestimate my determination," Tracy said. "There's been this lack of transparency, not giving over your phone, not cooperating with investigators, that kind of thing, like you are trustees. The word trust matters."
Tracy is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
She says since the case broke, she's been unemployed, and her nonprofit is no longer active.
"My reputation has been destroyed. Personal relationships have been harmed. My character has been harmed. There's too many things really to count. I have issues with safety, my mental health, my emotional well, being like, there's just nothing in my life that hasn't been touched in a drastic, harmful way," she said.
CBS News Detroit contacted MSU about the lawsuit; the university declined to comment.
Efforts to get a statement from Vassar and Denno also went unanswered.
"I'm not going to give up on any of this. So, I think it's interesting that people think that they can, you know, bully me or threaten me or make fun of me, call me names, stalk me, harass me into silence, because that's not going to happen," Tracy said.
