Michigan State University Trustee Rema Vassar sent a 23 page pre-litigation demand to university officials claiming she has been discriminated against during her tenure on the board.
On behalf of Vassar, attorney Martin Shepherd of Mavacy PLLC wrote that the defendants in her lawsuit face more than $25 million in potential damages.
The demand outlines that Vassar believes fellow trustees and the university repeatedly violated MSU board policy to attack her because she is a Black woman.
"The historic significance of her chairmanship — first Black woman in 168 years — has been transformed into a public narrative of forced removal," the demand wrote.
The document was sent out after 10 p.m. on May 17, 2026, two hours after the board held a last minute special meeting approving revisions to the board’s code of ethics and conduct and a $1 million raise to the university president’s salary.
The pre-litigation demand says that if a lawsuit is filed, they will name MSU, the Board of Trustees, Board Chair Brianna Scott, former trustee Dan Kelly in his individual and official capacity, MSU General Counsel Brian Quinn, former trustee Dianne Byrum in her individual capacity and "other persons" who are named in the document.
The demand gave the university until June 17 — 30 days after it was filed — to respond. If the university does not provide a "meaningful" response, Shepherd will file the lawsuit in federal court. That deadline is just five days after the board’s next regularly scheduled public meeting on June 12.
"If this turns into litigation, we plan to fight it," Vice President of MSU Communications Emily Guerrant said on Wednesday night.
A pre-litigation demand is a step a plaintiff can take to warn the defendants of future litigation. Guerrant confirmed that the university has not yet been served an intent to sue, the first step for a lawsuit.
Vassar says that she was "attacked" following a 2023 letter sent by Scott alleging misconduct on behalf of Vassar. "No comparable pressure campaign has ever been mounted against any white trustee for governance-related conduct," the pre-litigation demand wrote.
