The prolonged face-off continues in the lawsuit between communication professor Avis E. Meyer, Ph.D., and Saint Louis University, as the federal court system works toward setting a final court date.?

SLU originally filed suit against Meyer on Oct. 11, on the grounds of trademark infringement. Last March, Meyer registered the phrase “The University News: A Student Voice Serving Saint Louis University Since 1921” during last year’s conflict over the newspaper’s charter. He relinquished the newspaper’s name in mid-August.

According to Meyer, Dec. 20, 2007, was the date set for the University to “presumably either accept or reject the monetary offer” he had made as a counter offer. The University chose to withhold a decision, causing the case to be rerouted to the federal court system.

Since the original court date in December, the case was reassigned to Missouri Eastern District Court Chief Justice Carol E. Jackson, original judge Audrey G. Fleissig’s clerk said.?

Jackson’s clerk said a court conference was held in which an official court date was to be determined on Thursday, Feb. 7. No decision was made, however. Meyer’s lawyer Brian Gill was not available for comment, but Meyer said that Gill expects the date to be announced within two weeks.

“Because this is pending litigation, the University is not going to have any additional comment on the lawsuit at this time,” said Vice President of University Marketing and Communication Jeff Fowler.

The University is seeking a $6,327 reimbursement from Meyer, recognized by The University News as its faculty mentor, for legal fees spent attempting to reclaim the paper’s name, which the University said belongs to the school.