Lawsuit from professor called racist for saying ‘mob’ moves forward

A lawsuit against Michigan State University concerning a professor who was called a racist by school trustees for using the word “mob” to describe chaos at a public meeting has advanced in court.

A Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) release stated that “professor Jack Lipton scored a victory for free speech last week after a federal court allowed his lawsuit to move forward against two Michigan State University trustees who he claims not only urged students to call him racist, but told them how to phrase it.”

FIRE is a “defender of fundamental rights on college campuses” and a free speech advocacy group, as stated on its website.

FIRE’s release said that “in his lawsuit, Lipton alleged that two trustees, Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno, met with MSU students, encouraged them to file complaints against Lipton with MSU’s internal civil rights office, and asked students to condemn Lipton as racist in public statements, op-eds, and on social media.”

These alleged efforts took place after Lipton called the disruptive crowd at a Board of Trustees meeting a “mob” in an interview, according to FIRE’s release.

The release said that “in October 2023, at a public Board of Trustees meeting that followed an open letter accusing then-BOT Chair Vassar of ethics violations, Lipton read a resolution on behalf of faculty calling for Vassar’s resignation,” after which “the meeting erupted in chaos.”

Special counsel for campus advocacy at FIRE Robert Shibley told The Center Square that Lipton alleged Vassar and Denno “used their government positions to retaliate against him after he criticized Vassar for allowing what he called ‘the mob’ to disrupt a meeting about Vassar's alleged ethical violations.”

“As the judge wrote, the trustees ‘crafted the language that others would use to attack Lipton’ and ‘pushed students to file complaints’ against him, simply because of his protected speech,” Shibley said.

Neither Vassar nor Denno responded to multiple requests for comment.

Lipton told The Center Square: “I’m suing because the MSU Board of Trustees – particularly Trustees Denno and Vassar – tried to destroy my reputation – for telling the truth.”

“When I spoke openly about the chaos and political theatrics at the Board's October 2023 meeting, they retaliated by falsely labeling me a racist and orchestrating a public smear campaign using their own community members and friends and colleagues, as well as using MSU staff, faculty, and worst of all, MSU students,” Lipton said.

“This wasn’t just an attack on my words – it was an attack on my integrity, my career, and my safety,” Lipton said.

“As a scholar, academic leader, and governance advocate, my reputation is everything,” Lipton said. “They knew that.”

“They weaponized their power to silence and intimidate me, and to show others what would happen if anyone would dare attempt to hold them accountable,” Lipton said. “They fomented conflict within the university community they swore to support.”

“I wouldn't have any self-respect if I let these actions go unanswered,” Lipton said.

“This lawsuit isn’t just about me – it’s also about showing the university community and those in society who are afraid of the powerful, that we can stand up to bullies, be they politicians and/or bosses, who abuse their office or authority to punish those who challenge them,” Lipton said.

MSU spokeswoman Amber McCann told The Center Square that “the university does not comment on pending litigation.”

When asked for comment on the advancing of Lipton’s lawsuit, one of the professor’s attorneys – Liz Abdnour – told The Center Square that she and Lipton “are thrilled that the Court clearly understood the seriousness of the retaliation he experienced by MSU's top leaders, simply for speaking out about their abuse.”

“One other important aspect of this case is that the Court is allowing Dr. Lipton to proceed with his claim against Trustee Vassar in both her official and her personal capacity,” Abdnour told The Center Square.

“Proceeding against her in her official capacity means that the Court is also allowing him to seek injunctive relief, meaning that he can seek a court order to prevent her from retaliating against him in the future,” Abdnour said.

Robert Shibley of FIRE told The Center Square that Lipton’s case “gets to the very core of the First Amendment's protections: the right of Americans to criticize government officials.”

“Prof. Lipton's ‘offense’ was answering a reporter's question about his opinion of what happened in an open meeting,” Shibley said. “Americans should be able to do that without fearing that the government will be weaponized against them.”

“If the First Amendment means anything, it means that government officials can't take official action against you simply for saying something you had every right to say,” Shibley said.