Despite recent attempts to reach a settlement, a university employee’s lawsuit concerning free speech issues is going to trial against another Eastern employee and a former employee.

Allen Bryant, programmer for Information Technology Services, filed the suit more than a year ago, and for undisclosed reasons, a settlement could not be reached, Vicki Woodard of Media Relations said Wednesday.

Although the lawsuit is not against the university, Eastern will be defending Lloyd Leonard, assistant director of Human Resources, and former university employee John Henderson. Information regarding the trial could not be released, Woodard said.

“I kind of wanted to go to trial and see what the federal judge would say,” Bryant said. “I realize there is some legal question that needs to be answered.

“I’m confident that there was nothing I said that was unprotected speech. My intent at this time is just the principle that it’s about free speech.”

The dispute between Bryant and the university began in March of 2000, when he wrote a letter to the editor in The Daily Eastern News expressing concerns over network software and was subsequently suspended by university administrators for 10 days.

In his letter in the March 1, 2000 edition of The Daily Eastern News, Bryant voiced concerns about a campus computer system called LANDesk, which he said infringed on privacy rights. He warned that the LANDesk software would allow the university to monitor and access computer correspondence on the network including e-mail and faculty research.

“LANDesk could be used to monitor employee work habits,” his letter said. “It will also provide an avenue to further erode the personal freedom we currently enjoy in our workplace.”

Bryant filed the suit in July of 2000 in a federal court under the 1983 Civil Rights Act, which protects free speech.

On Feb. 14 the university said it was awaiting a signed settlement from Bryant, and on Monday Bryant said he was awaiting a response from the university to his counter offer; however, the university will not divulge why a settlement could not be reached.

“People have a right to express themselves and one of those particularly being the freedom of the press,” he said. “Whether or not a judge will uphold that or not in the current atmosphere of our country, we’ll find out.”