News Local/State

Salaita Attorneys Again Say U of I Destroyed Evidence

 
In this Sept. 9, 2014 file photo, Steven Salaita, speaks to students and reporters during a news conference at the University of Illinois YMCA.

In this Sept. 9, 2014 file photo, Steven Salaita, speaks to students and reporters during a news conference at the University of Illinois YMCA. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

Attorneys for Steven Salaita, who is suing the University of Illinois over a lost job offer, have asked a federal judge to restore claims that evidence in the case was destroyed.

When U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber on Aug. 6 denied the university's motion to dismiss Steven Salaita's lawsuit, he also dismissed the evidence claim.
 
Salaita's attorneys argue in a motion filed Tuesday that the university's more recent release of emails in which then-Chancellor Phyllis Wise used a personal account to discuss university business back their claim.

Wise mentions in an email that she was deleting them after sending. Wise has since resigned.

“We received these filings very late last night and our attorneys are in the process of reviewing and responding to them," said U of I spokesperson Robin Kaler, in a statement released Wednesday.
 
The university last year rescinded Salaita's job offer over a series of anti-Israel Twitter messages.