Ad Disclosure
Mel Tucker reportedly can’t be found, and that’s delaying a lawsuit
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Mel Tucker cannot be located, and that simple fact is holding up a lawsuit brought against him.
Tucker has largely remained out of the spotlight since being fired as Michigan State’s head football coach in 2023 amid sexual harassment allegations. Tucker claimed that an alleged relationship between him and his accuser, Brenda Tracy, was consensual, leading Tracy to sue him for defamation.
The problem is that Tucker has been nowhere to be found since, keeping Tracy’s attorney, Karen Truszkowski, from serving the suit, according to a report from The Detroit News’ Connor Earegood.
From Earegood’s reporting:
According to court filings, Truszkowski has attempted to serve Tucker via certified mail at all of his known addresses, including an East Lansing home he still owns. Every letter was returned as undeliverable without a forwarding address.
…
Tucker’s own attorneys would not accept service on behalf of their client, either, and that leaves this case at a standstill. The former coach is, however, aware of the case, as he referenced it in a lawsuit against Michigan State University regarding his termination.
Tracy initially filed a complaint with Michigan State in December 2022, stating that months prior, Tucker had made sexual comments on a phone call and masturbated without her consent.
Michigan State eventually investigated the claims, firing Tucker in September 2023 while finding a month later that he did indeed sexually harass her despite claiming he did nothing wrong. Tracy’s defamation lawsuit was filed in October.
If Tucker does not respond to the lawsuit, “a default judgment in Tracy’s favor” will be made, according to an Ingram County (Mich.) judge.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
