A former assistant vice president in Michigan State University's fundraising office is accusing Vice President of University Advancement Kim Tobin of retaliating against her for informing the university about a report of sexual harassment.

Alison Gaudreau, who worked in University Advancement until January 2025, filed a lawsuit against the university and Tobin in her professional and personal capacity Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

Gaudreau alleges that she was reprimanded and ultimately terminated by Tobin after she informed the university about reports of sexual harassment by an employee — something Gaudreau claims she was required to do as a supervisor.

Tobin was not immediately available to comment.

MSU Spokesperson Amber McCann declined to comment on the filing, saying the university doesn't comment on litigation.

According to the lawsuit, Gaudreau reported an incident of sexual harassment within University Advancement to MSU's Office of Institutional Equity in July 2024.

Gaudreau said her supervisor, Tobin, took issue with her submitting the report, expressing concern that a report of sexual harassment from within University Advancement would reflect poorly on the department's leadership.

Tobin allegedly told Gaudreau that she should have first worked with the department’s human resources lead, Assistant Vice President Vivianne Robinson, to resolve the matter internally.

Although Robinson allegedly advised that reprimanding Gaudreau would violate university policy, Tobin continued to criticize Gaudreau's performance following the incident. The complaint states that Tobin became “critical and retaliatory” and questioned Gaudreau's “loyalty."

On Dec. 12, 2024, Gaudreau went to MSU's chief audit, risk and compliance officer with complaints about Tobin's alleged retaliation. The lawsuit states Gaudreau also reported those concerns to the Office of General Counsel.