University of Maryland Eastern Shore President Heidi Anderson has filed a defamation lawsuit against a former professor, alleging that false accusations of plagiarism significantly damaged her professional reputation and career. According to the complaint, Anderson claims the allegations led to the loss of numerous speaking engagements and professional opportunities. She is seeking $1 million in damages, asserting that the claims were made maliciously and without evidence, causing lasting personal and professional harm to both her standing in higher education and her role as president of University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Donna Satterflee has accused Anderson of plagiarizing portions of her doctoral dissertation dating back to 1986. Satterflee, who served as a professor at UMES, left the institution in 2024 and claims she was forced out of her position because she is white. She further alleges that her removal was an act of retaliation for speaking out against what she describes as corruption within the university. Satterflee has since filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against UMES and has publicly characterized Anderson as a “scam artist,” asserting that she is unqualified to serve as university president.
In a report by The Baltimore Banner, Satterflee alleges that Anderson, members of her department, and senior university leadership engaged in discriminatory hiring practices by “preferentially hiring African American employees over white and Asian applicants.” Satterflee is not the only former UMES employee pursuing legal action against the institution. At least three other current or former employees have active lawsuits alleging the university was involved in “criminal activity,” as well as the unlawful termination of funding and fraud involving federal funds.
“This is vicious retaliation,” Satterlee said of Anderson’s defamation suit. “It’s not going to deter me or intimidate me. Anderson is not qualified to be president.”
The dispute between Satterflee and the university has been going on for quite some time. Satterflee joined the university in 2002 as a lecturer and was among the few white faculty members on campus. Tensions escalated after she applied for a full-time professorship, a process she claims exposed longstanding inequities. Satterflee alleges she was paid less than colleagues within her department and repeatedly passed over for promotions, despite receiving strong evaluations and praise from her students.
However, the university claims Satterflee committed an “egregious” violation of UMES’ bullying policy, which ultimately led to a recommendation for her termination. Satterflee disputes that characterization, maintaining that the incident in question involved correcting a superior’s grammar and spelling. She says the incident forced her resignation and prompted her to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university.
In support of her plagiarism allegations against Anderson, Satterflee claims she determined that at least 27% of Anderson’s 1986 doctoral dissertation was unoriginal. According to Satterflee, she used the plagiarism-detection platform Turnitin to evaluate the work. She further alleges that the dissertation had previously been used as an instructional example for dissertation writing during her time at Washington University in St. Louis.
“I was upset with the way Anderson was treating me and also talking with students about plagiarism,” Satterlee told The Washington Post. “Both contributed to me reviewing her dissertation.”
Anderson, who has served as president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore since 2018, has firmly denied any wrongdoing in response to the plagiarism allegations. In court filings, Anderson argued that citation and academic standards differed at the time she completed her studies, maintaining that her work complied with the norms in place during her graduate education. Anderson holds a PhD in pharmacy administration from Purdue University.
While UMES has declined to comment publicly on the ongoing litigation, Tina Wilson, chair of the UMES Board of Visitors, voiced her support for Anderson in a post shared on her Facebook page. Both Anderson and Satterlee are expected to appear in court later this week as the legal dispute continues to unfold.
“Two lawsuits alleging discrimination and a reckless, anonymous accusation sent to The Baltimore Banner attempting to undermine Dr. Anderson’s academic credentials are emblematic of [a] disturbing trend,” she wrote.
