Attorney David Dutton says in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids that Barrett was fired because of his sexual orientation following a UNI investigation that wasn't conducted according to any university procedure and found no sexual misconduct.

Northern Iowa officials declined to comment on the lawsuit and say the Iowa Attorney General's Office would defend the university. UNI officials said Barrett's last day on the job was Dec. 1 but declined to release other details.

Barrett, 50, taught junior high and high school music in the Logan-Rogersville School District, based in Rogersville, Mo., in the 1990s. UNI hired him in 2002 and he became an associate professor in February 2009.

Adam Walker, 31, filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Missouri against Barrett, the school district and a former principal in November 2008. It accuses Barrett, who denies the allegation, of sexually abusing Walker from 1992 to 1995.

Walker publicized the lawsuit in April 2009. That's when UNI found out about it and quickly placed Barrett on administrative leave.

Barrett filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in August. After his firing on Dec. 1, he appealed through university procedures. The appeal is pending.

In Barrett's lawsuit, he says Walker's accusations are false. He said he is disturbed by the university investigation that inquired about his sexuality and his current sexual partners.

Walker's lawsuit is still in the discovery stage. Defense attorneys are trying to get a judge to dismiss all or portions of the lawsuit based on technicalities, such as statutes of limitations. No trial date is set.