A Personal Letter to Dr. Eva Feldman, a Previously Undisclosed UMPD Report, and the University of Michigan's FOIA Denial
On May 27, 2019, Dr. Bradley Foerster sent a personal letter to Dr. Eva Feldman that was hand-delivered to her home. The letter reflected on a relationship spanning more than twenty years—from Dr. Feldman's mentorship of Dr. Foerster during medical school to the Foerster family's decision to name their first child, Maria Eva, in her honor—and described Dr. Foerster's concerns regarding the University's dismissal proceedings, the NIH-funded ALS research grant, and the effect those events were having on his family, academic career, and future as an ALS physician-scientist. Dr. Feldman did not respond.
Years later, an Ann Arbor Police Department FOIA request produced both a copy of the May 27, 2019 letter and correspondence showing that Michigan Medicine Security had forwarded the letter to AAPD Detective Spickard. Those records also identified the existence of University of Michigan Police Department (UMPD/DPSS) Incident Report #1990302701, a report that had not been disclosed in earlier FOIA requests seeking University police records concerning Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou.
May 2019 letter to Dr. Eva Feldman referenced in the Ann Arbor Police Department correspondence.
On February 13, 2026, Dr. Bradley Foerster submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the University of Michigan seeking a copy of University of Michigan Police Department (UMPD/DPSS) Incident Report #1990302701, which had been identified through the Ann Arbor Police Department FOIA production. That production included both a copy of the May 27, 2019 letter to Dr. Eva Feldman and correspondence documenting that Michigan Medicine Security had forwarded the letter to AAPD Detective Spickard.
On February 23, 2026, the University denied the FOIA request, citing Sections 13(1)(a) and 13(1)(b) of the Michigan FOIA. The University asserted that release would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy and that the report qualified as a law enforcement investigative record exempt from disclosure.
On February 24, 2026, Dr. Foerster filed a formal FOIA appeal challenging the University's application of those exemptions. The appeal cited controlling Michigan appellate authority establishing that the public body bears the burden of proof in applying FOIA exemptions and that such exemptions must be narrowly construed in favor of disclosure, including MLive Media Group v. City of Grand Rapids, 321 Mich App 263 (2017), and Swickard v. Wayne County Medical Examiner, 438 Mich 536 (1991).
The appeal further documented that UMPD Incident Report #1990302701 had not been produced in multiple earlier FOIA requests seeking University police records concerning Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou, despite the Ann Arbor Police Department FOIA production documenting both the forwarding of the May 27, 2019 letter and the existence of the report.
The appeal also noted that AAPD Detective Spickard had previously testified as one of four University witnesses during the November 2018 internal proceedings involving Dr. Foerster. During that testimony, Detective Spickard described his investigation into allegations involving two stray orange cats and stated that such matters could be considered criminal in nature.
Dr. Foerster further stated that the available records indicated the complaint originated with Dr. Eva Feldman, as reflected in the Ann Arbor Police Department FOIA production, and that the University's reliance on a privacy-based exemption was therefore inapplicable under those circumstances.
On March 9, 2026, the University President's Office, through Chief of Staff Steve Yaros, denied the appeal, upholding the University's original determination without additional explanation and referring back to the February 23, 2026 denial.
University of Michigan denies the FOIA request for the UMPD incident report, citing privacy and law enforcement exemptions.
Dr. Bradley Foerster appeals denial of the FOIA request, challenging the application of exemptions and the prior non-disclosure of the report.
University of Michigan President's Office denies the FOIA appeal, upholding the prior exemptions and withholding the UMPD report.
University of Michigan Medicine Security documents the Dr. Eva Feldman complaint and forwards Dr. Bradley Foerster's letter to the Ann Arbor Police Department.
Selected Reporting
- From Mentor to Federal Investigation: The Dr. Eva Feldman Documentary Chronology
- July 26 Documentary Notice and Documentary Chronology Transmitted to City Attorney Kaur, Mayor Taylor, City Administrator Dohoney, and Police Chief Anderson Concerning Ann Arbor Police Department Investigations, Related City Proceedings, and Federal Investigations Involving Drs. Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou (2015–2026).
- July 7 Documentary Notice to University of Michigan Vice President and General Counsel Timothy G. Lynch Concerning University and Law Enforcement Investigations Involving Drs. Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou (2015–2026). July 8 UM Announces Lynch Leaving.
- From One FBI File to a Legislative Proposal: Peter and Maria Foerster Ask Senator Van Hollen's Office and Congressman Jamie Raskin to Consider a Uniform Administrative Framework for Federal Investigations
- The Institutional Fingerprint of the FBI Russia-Gate File: Referrals, Consults, Intelligence Reports, and the June 16, 2026 FBI Production
- Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou Document More Than Two Years of Unsuccessful Efforts to Trace Bank of Ann Arbor's $1.4 Million Sheriff's Sale Credit Bid (June 2026)
Brad Foerster, MD PhD
Brad Foerster is a FOIA advocate documenting requests, transparency disputes, and accountability investigations involving public agencies, universities, police oversight, and Russia-Gate related inquiries. His work compiles original documents, timelines, and analysis of public records and institutional responses. Brad is also a board-certified radiologist, author of Town & Gown, and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles. Brad lives in Potomac, Maryland with his family and is active in the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Takoma Park U.S. & World History Book Club.