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Ex-wife of University Benefactor Sues to Recoup Donations

WORCESTER, Mass. — The ex-wife of a man who has donated tens of millions of dollars to a Massachusetts university wants some of that money back.

The Telegram & Gazette reports that Janet Foisie says in a federal lawsuit filed Friday against Worcester Polytechnic Institute that her ex-husband concealed $4.5 million from her during divorce proceedings in 2011 and then gave that money to WPI.

Her ex-husband, Robert Foisie, is not named as a defendant.

Robert Foisie is a 1956 graduate of WPI who in 2014 donated $40 million to the school. The university is constructing a new academic building that will be named after him.

WPI in a statement credited the Foisies for their generosity and said it has no knowledge of any improper conduct alleged in the lawsuit.

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