The final cost of Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees’ recently released investigation into the removal of former business school dean Sanjay Gupta totals $1,577,167, according to deputy spokesperson Dan Olsen.
Global law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan conducted the board’s probe. The firm is known for its corporate practice, receiving five 9-figure jury verdicts, a feat only rivaled by a handful of other firms. Recent clients include Boy Scouts of America, Victoria’s Secret and AIG.
The report Quinn Emanuel produced for the board found that while Gupta violated MSU’s mandatory reporting policy, his removal was out of line with university policy.
But in interviews included in the report, interim president Teresa Woodruff, who carried out the dismissal, defended her decision. She argued that her at-will employees should meet her “high administrative standards, including a “zero-tolerance” policy surrounding sexual misconduct.
Invoices obtained by The State News spanning from August 2022 to January 2023 provide a breakdown of the seven-figure cost. More recent invoices, making up about 37% of the overall cost, have not yet been released by MSU’s Freedom of Information Act Office.
On average, Quinn Emanuel’s attorneys billed over $1000 an hour on MSU’s case — more than double average hourly rates for attorneys representing the university in the 2018 William Strampel litigation and 2022 swim and dive litigation.
While the board independently ordered and facilitated the investigation, it was funded by the university.
Board chair Rema Vassar declined to answer questions regarding the cost of the investigation, saying she has “nothing to offer regarding billing,” and “I won’t be of much help to you,” in text messages to The State News.
In written statements regarding the investigation, trustees justified the costly investigation by citing a section of their bylaws which vests the board with the power to ensure that employment decisions are made in accordance with the law.
While the investigation into Gupta’s removal consumed the vast majority of the probe’s time and cost, the report also included a separate review of MSU’s overall handling of Title IX. It made up just less than 6% of cost, and yielded 14 broad recommendations for ways MSU could improve its handling of sexual misconduct.
The final 4%, $41,289, didn’t contribute to the investigation, rather to “crisis management PR” consulting services provided to the board by Quinn Emanuel. Normally, the board’s spokespeople are university employees who also media train and speak for administrators like Woodruff and Gupta.
Crystal Nix-Hines, the former U.S. ambassador to UNESCO and current Quinn Emanuel attorney, billed $1,432.25 an hour for her PR advising. She was listed as the contact on board press releases regarding the investigation, but was never quoted in media reports. Nix-Hines did not return calls or emails from The State News seeking an interview.
The Quinn Emanuel probe was one of two investigations ordered by the board in August 2022.
The other was conducted by Michigan litigation firm Honigman Miller. It focused on MSU’s Title IX certification process whereby the president and one trustee must review finalized investigations into sexual misconduct and discrimination. The report released in November 2022 found that trustees Renee Knake Jefferson and Brianna Scott had not reviewed the required reports.
Then-president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. voiced frustration with those board members' apathy. He then resigned from the university, citing a loss of confidence in the board.
