Judge dismisses lawsuit against WPI from donor's ex-wife

Photo/Grant Welker The Foisie Innovation Studio opened in September 2018.

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A lawsuit filed by the ex-wife of the largest donor in Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s history has been dismissed, with the judge ruling the woman had no rightful claim to money her ex-husband had donated to the school.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Hillman agreed Robert Foisie, for whom a $49 million classroom and dorm building and a business school was named after, lied to his wife during divorce proceedings about his holdings, specifically about $4.5 million in offshore assets and other promissory notes.

Since the divorce in 2011, Robert Foisie -- who died last June -- has transferred at least $39 million to the school, some of which his ex-wife, Janet Foisie, believes belongs to her because of his concealment of assets were to be equally divided among the couple, per divorce proceedings.

However, per Massachusetts’ interpretation of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act and case law, Hillman found Janet Foisie had no legal claim to the money and isn’t a creditor because the hidden funds were donated to WPI after the divorce.

Janet Foisie was requested a ruling that would order WPI to stop spending money it received from her ex-husband since 2011.

Robert Foisie graduated from WPI in 1956 with a degree in mechanical engineering before earning a master's at Cornell University. He later founded and served as president of Matik North America, a Connecticut import, distribution and service firm, according to WPI. He also owned a Swiss company making packaging machinery