Allison Bailey v Stonewall - Employment Tribunal hearing Thread 3

[ickky]

The Tribunal started on 25th April at 10am. If you would like to view online you need to send a request for access as early as possible.

Send an email to

[email protected]

The subject heading of the email request should read

“MEDIA OR PUBLIC ACCESS REQUEST – Case number 2202172/2020 - Ms A Bailey – 25th April 2022.

Then ask for the pin for the online access.
You will be contacted with instructions on how to observe the hearing.

When joining the live tribunal

On the first page underneath where you put your screen name, select the video and mic that are not crossed out (top option), this is the courts vid and mic.

On the next page select NONE on the drop down windows for vid and mic, these are your own video and mic.

You must be muted so as to not disturb the hearing.

There is also live tweeting from

twitter.com/tribunaltweets

Abbreviations:
AB: Allison Bailey, claimant
BC: Ben Cooper QC, barrister for AB
SW = Stonewall Equality Limited (respondent 1)
IO = Ijeoma Omambala QC, barrister for SW
RW = Robin White assisting IO
GC = Garden Court Chambers Limited (respondent 2) (GCC would be a better abbreviation)
AH = Andrew Hochhauser QC, barrister for GC
JR = Jane Russell assisting AH
RM= Rajiv Menon QC & SH = Stephanie Harrison QC (jointly respondent 3 along with all members of GC except AB)
EJ = Employment Judge Goodman hearing the case
Panel = any one of the three panel members (EJ and two lay members)

Thread 1
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4529887-Allison-Bailey-v-Stonewall-Employment-Tribunal-hearing?

Thread 2

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4542466-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-2

Just doing his (not very nice) job, but even so his disingenuous introduction of Allison's health - provoking her "stable door" riposte - was below the belt.

I totally agree about the way he bought her medical issues into it. Nasty

In 2021, I was contacted by Lucy Masoud. She is, like me, Gender Critical, black and lesbian. She told me she had read about my case and that it had similarities with her own experience...

This is not a great look for ''diversity champions''.

AH is doing his job and the system encourages him to behave like this. (A bit like our adversarial political system). I don't think he's the worst and I think he has a grudging respect for Allison. I think this case is actually doing her career good. She's demonstrated she can withstand immense pressure.

He laughed today when the judge wearily said good afternoon at the end of the day's sitting. She sounded thoroughly fed up by all of it and it was quite amusing the way he said it. The feed cut off with AH's picture frozen in a broad smile.

His responsibility is to the tribunal and his client. He wouldn't be doing his job if he let her off the hook and didn't try to limit their losses.

Oh I just accidentally misgendered the judge. Merely a typo, honest!

Thanks @oviraptor21 I did find them myself last night - guess I was just a bit impatient in hoping they'd be up faster

I just want to say Good Luck, Alison Bailey...Good luck and Justice to you and Thank You!

What a legend Allison is...after a day of cross examination by AH, I would be having a quiet little cry in the corner.

He is only doing his job, though, as odious as he comes across.
I bet he's Mr Charisma when you work with him every day.

I think being a barrister would take a certain ruthlessness to be honest. You see it on all sides in these cases. Being fully committed to presenting your interpretation of the evidence means taking a certain emotional distance from the human cost of getting to the truth.

@tabbycatstripy
A barrister I know is very good at his job but a pain socially. He just loves to argue and take the opposite point of view for the fun of it and always wants to win the argument. He's naturally competitive and combative. Also from a career POV they are as good as their last big win. So if they get a child molester off it's a win to boast about.

They probably need to be that type of person but it's not likeable and to the rest of us can be morally repugnant when they are defending the indefensible.

I believe everyone is entitled to the best defence the facts can sustain, but I don't necessarily enjoy the company of the people who do it.

Exactly @tabbycatstripy AH is only doing his job but because his case is weak he's using underhand tactics of implying Allison is being unfair to junior staff etc.

Zainab Al-Farabi for Stonewall is the first witness.

Zainab al-Farabi swearing in now. Evidence is for Stonewall. Miss Omambala is going through her evidence with her.

I feel a sense of anticipation.

Now BC cross-examining.

ZAF doesn't work for Stonewall anymore.

That was a quick win re the embedding of position and policy

Although in her witness statement she says she's authorised to make it on behalf of Stonewall.

Also in her witness statement, ZAF starts by declaring her pronouns. She/her for anyone who needed clarification.

Phew. So glad you clarified that.

Interesting after all the legal trained witnesses to see a civvy being questioned.

So from her witness statement, they're going to blame Kirrin and suggest he acted the 'lone ranger'.

ZAF is legally trained.

There were civvies at the beginning but they mostly all had PhDs and were very skilled at answering the questions.

Is she? Crikey.