A Villa Park man who claimed he was fired from insurance giant Allstate for writing an online essay that denounced same-sex marriage has settled his lawsuit against the company.
Lawyers for former employee J. Matt Barber and for Allstate, headquartered in Northbrook, appeared before a U.S. District Judge to report that the case had been resolved. The terms have not been publicized.
In the lawsuit filed last May, Barber—a born-again Christian—said he wrote the article on his own time in December 2004, according to WorldNetDaily.com . It called same-sex marriages 'oxymoronic' and discussed the so-called 'destructive nature ... of the homosexual lifestyle.' After being called into a meeting with human resources officials, he was fired effective Feb. 3, 2005.
In response to Barber's lawsuit, Allstate officials denied punishing Barber for his views. They argued that he was fired for using company 'resources for his personal journalistic activities.'
Barber now is working for the candidacy of Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis.