Judge hears appeal for IU records

Monroe County Circuit Court proceedings began Wednesday morning in an ongoing lawsuit to force IU to release notes and records that led to the firing of former IU men's basketball coach Bob Knight. \nThe Indianapolis Star is appealing a November 2001 ruling, that said the University did not have to release the records.\nFormer IU President Myles Brand fired Knight in 2000 after the former coach violated a "zero tolerance" behavior policy when he grabbed then-freshman Kent Harvey by the arm, according to a Feb. 18 article in the Indiana Daily Student.\nBrand installed a "zero tolerance" policy when former player Neil Reed accused Knight of choking him after a basketball practice.\nFormer IU board of trustees Presidents John Walda and Fred Eichhorn released a summarized report about the investigation which led to Knight's firing, according to the IDS article. The University did not release the notes and records that led to the summary report.\nThe Indianapolis Star then filed a lawsuit under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act, which gives both agencies and individuals the right to observe public documents. The Star contends the Walda-Eichhorn report is a public document and is currently seeking its disclosure, according to the IDS article.\nIU contends Walda and Eichhorn were acting in their capacities as attorneys for the University when they prepared the report for Brand, so the notes should not be released based on attorney-client confidentiality.