Officials at the Management Association of Illinois were mum Friday about whether they had filed an appeal of their $1 million lawsuit against NIU.

MAI officials would not confirm whether an appeal was filed Friday. One company employee who would not give her name said she thought the appeal was filed.

However, Stephen Carlson, an attorney representing NIU from Chicago-based Sidley & Austin, said he had “not received any notice of an appeal being filed.”

Anne Kaplan, executive assistant for NIU President John La Tourette, said she has not heard whether an appeal was filed.

Circuit Court Judge Lester Foreman dismissed the suit last Wednesday because he said it should have been filed in the Illinois Court of Claims in Springfield.

If the appeal is denied, MAI cannot sue NIU in an Illinois Circuit Court and would be forced to file suit in an Illinois Court of Claims in Springfield.

Kaplan said she has heard nothing about the suit being moved to a different court. She also said NIU Legal Counsel George Shur did not know anything about an appeal.

MAI President Charles Blanchard was unavailable for comment.

MAI filed suit Feb. 4. The company alleged that six of its former employees brought clients and files to NIU.