FOIA: City Attorney Thomas Kent Threatened Sanctions, Resulting in Dismissal of Police (Gerdes–Kent Emails, 2017)
On January 2, 2026, Dr. Bradley Foerster submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the City of Ann Arbor seeking communications between the University of Michigan Office of General Counsel and the Ann Arbor City Attorney’s Office regarding Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou. The request was granted, and the emails presented here were obtained through that FOIA request.
The records consist of email communications from August–September 2017 between University of Michigan Associate General Counsel Christine Gerdes and City of Ann Arbor Senior Assistant City Attorney Thomas Kent.
These communications occur during the same period as the sheriff’s sale and the July 20, 2017 arrest warrant requests.
The record reflects that Thomas Kent, Senior Assistant City Attorney for the City of Ann Arbor, described an ongoing criminal investigation involving Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou, stating that the matter had been referred for prosecutor review.
Most significantly, Thomas Kent states that he threatened sanctions against counsel for Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou for a “frivolous” lawsuit and that, as a result, the City defendants, including the police, were dismissed.
These communications occur during the same period as the sheriff’s sale and the July 20, 2017 arrest warrant requests.
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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.