Just had an email update.
Update on Official sources provide unlawful guidance on the 2010 Equality Act!
Dear Donors
As I’m sure most, if not all, of you know that Maya Forstater’s Appeal hearing took place on Tues & Wed this week. Perhaps some of you also observed virtually. The case was only about challenging the Employment Tribunal decision (Maya’s belief not worthy of respect in a democratic society), not whether or not Maya was actually discriminated against.
Maya’s barrister Ben Cooper – who also represented Allison Bailey at her preliminary hearing last month (btw, Allison’s court date has been put back to 2022, not 2021!) – showed in forensic depth how the Tribunal got it wrong and failed to apply the law correctly. Aileen McColgan, representing the organisation Index on Censorship, and Karon Monaghan, representing the EHRC, also said the Tribunal got it wrong. Karon Monaghan was at pains to point out the EHRC was only commenting on the Tribunal’s procedure, not the substantive case, ie discrimination against Maya. That was Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Jane Russell counsel for CGD, spoke first. I missed a lot of that because I was also reading and sharing drafts of AEA’s skeleton (legal argument) with our lawyers at the same time (we had to file by 12.00!), so I won’t comment. Suffice to say that Ben Cooper’s closing remarks were withering.
So our skeleton was lodged on time. It will be interesting to see EHRC’s skeleton (due early next week). Their job is to argue that we don’t have an arguable case and should therefore not be given permission to proceed to JR. Our skeleton has the firm solid bones of points of law finely argued – so they have a tough job on their hands. We’ll see on 6th May. The hearing will be in-person and also virtually. I will email with more detail as soon as I know.
Am so grateful to you all for enabling this legal action – we shouldn’t have had to do it in the first place, but it needs to be done. Everyone, most especially the body that was established to oversee equalities, has to comply with the law as it is, not as they’d like it to be!
I hope you’ve found my posting of your lovely and inspiring comments pleasing – they certainly pleased me.
Thanks so much for your support.
Ann