Mermaids vs LGB Alliance and Charity Commissioner - First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) Thread 4

[nauticant]

UPDATE: a transcript of the proceedings has been published and can be found here: lgballiance.org.uk/tribunal-transcript/

The Tribunal started on 9 September, witness testimony was heard from 12 to 15 September, and then, following a break, closing submissions are taking place on 7 and 8 November.

[This paragraph is probaby now redundant] To obtain access to view the proceedings, send a request email to [email protected] about case CA/2021/0013 - Mermaids vs Charity Commissioner and LGB Alliance and ask for permission to join. You then have to provide certain information and agree to a judge's direction in order to be able to join.

There is also live tweeting from www.twitter.com/tribunaltweets

Abbreviations:

J or judge: Presiding Judge, Judge Lynn Griffin
AJ or Judge: Assisted by Judge Joe Neville
MG: Mermaids counsel is Michael Gibbon KC
KM: LGB Alliance counsel is Karon Monaghan KC
AR: Karon is assisted by Akua Reindorf
IS: Charity Commission counsel is Iain Steele

(Also the witnesses, PR: Paul Roberts, JN: John Nicolson. BB: Belinda Bell, BJ: Beverley Jackson, KH: Kate Harris, and EG: Eileen Gallagher.)

Thread 1: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4629679-mermaids-versus-lgb-alliance-in-court-today
Thread 2: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4632780-mermaids-vs-lgb-alliance-and-charity-commissioner-first-tier-tribunal-general-regulatory-chameber-thread-2
Thread 3: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4633653-mermaids-vs-lgb-alliance-and-charity-commissioner-first-tier-tribunal-general-regulatory-chamber-thread-3?page=31&reply=121335177
Thread 4: ongoing

Witnesses for the applicant (Mermaids):

Paul Roberts - CEO of LGBT Consortium (12 September)
John Nicolson MP - Deputy Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights (13 September)
Dr Belinda Bell - Chair of trustees of Mermaids (13 September)

Witnesses for the respondent (LGB Alliance):

Beverley Jackson - Co-founder and trustee of LGB Alliance (13-14 September)
Kate Harris - Co-founder and trustee of LGB Alliance (14-15 September)
Eileen Gallagher OBE - Chair of trustees of LGB Alliance (15 September)

Witness Statements:

Paul Roberts: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Paul-Roberts-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
John Nicolson MP - www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/John-Nicolson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Dr Belinda Bell: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Belinda-Bell-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Beverley Jackson: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bev-Jackson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits-1.pdf
Kate Harris: www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Kate-Harris-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Eileen Gallagher (two statements): www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Second-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf

Submissions:

www.lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Volume-4-Submissions-CA.2021.0013.pdf

(Header format follows the gold standard established by @ickky)

post updated by MNHQ at OP's request in order to include the most up to date information.

Dennis Kavanagh has made a formal complaint about him according to his Substack

Even restricted, the replies are pretty brutal.

Got to love this reply!

twitter.com/msmainstay/status/1590868255962693633?s=61&t=aBESCQCHe1mqTX1gYXQ8kA

Am I correct in remembering that although it was Mermaids in court, the "Good Law" project were somehow involved behind the scenes? I'm sure Stonewall were originally involved too (which would have made more sense) but they quickly became uninvolved?

Argh. I got trapped in the AI auto net as I posted a link to Crowdjustice (GLP are the organisers of the crowdfunding for the case).

Stonewall were deffo included in the early news stories about the case (circa June 2021). Hopefully my previous comment will come through eventually as it contains three links.

Dennis Kavanagh has also officially complained about him to the Lord Chamberlain, I think.

Not only has he been appallingly rude to a very well-respected KC with many years experience in this area of law, but he is commenting on a case which is still active.

As an MP he should be aware of how inappropriate this is.

Sorry @Tallisker - I didn't realise you'd already mentioned Dennis' complaint.

There don't seem to be any replies which aren't critical.

Was an indication given of when the ruling (if that’s the right word) would be made?

@Itsalloutofwhack not as far as I am aware. It may be several months as there will be a lot of evidence to go through.

Random derail here but Private Eye has a story about mismanagement at Christchurch College Oxford.
I've no idea of the back story and why they were so keen to get rid of the Dean but the college appears to have spent £6.6m on legal and PR fees to do so.
They have reported the costs in their accounts as "teaching, research and residential expenditure".
The charity commission have been critical, stating this reporting "has the potential to mislead" and further "We consider that the actions of the trustees at Christchurch amount to mismanagement and/or misconduct".

I'm just posting this because I find the dishonesty and lack of accountability so shocking.

Don't hold too much hope or expectation of any meaningful censure if Mermaids.

Since I started the derail there's a bit more detail about the case here for anyone interested.

Classic DARVO in the last sentence.

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"Percy, who left his post in April, said: “This is a devastating finding against a charity that was clearly out of control. It is beyond doubt now that a small group of trustees at Christ Church were determined to get rid of me at any cost … Alumni and donors will be shocked that £6.6m – money ostensibly earmarked for education – was instead squandered on lawyers and PR agencies. This was then covered up in the accounts.”
The individuals responsible should be held to account, he added. “Christ Church cannot recover from this episode until that happens.”
A spokesperson for Christ Church said: “In very complex and constantly changing circumstances, trustees made decisions which, having taken professional advice, they judged to be in the best interests of Christ Church.
“Many of the costs were incurred as a result of Dr Percy’s refusal to settle with a governing body which had lost trust and confidence in him.”"

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/nov/10/charity-commission-criticises-oxford-college-christ-church-over-mismanagement

Curiously enough, I was just listening to this yesterday. The final episode sheds some different light onto it. The whole thing is rotten, but Rev Percy may not be as innocent as he makes out. However the accountability (or lack of) is appalling.

BBC Sounds - The Feud - www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p0dg2ygc

Good new! Charity Commission launch statutory inquiry!

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/7366dbdc-723e-11ed-8a5b-f385de7508fe?shareToken=017ef927cb635d313b87cd284535f1f7

Thank fuck for that! Thanks for the share

So that is why Susie went.

Yes!!!’

Now we know (to quote Mitchell and Webb)

interesting

I meant good newS, obviously!
Oh for an edit button 🙄

This is positive and Mermaids bought it on themselves. Stonewall must be so glad they stepped back at an early stage from the legal action.

I just hope by resigning SG doesn’t avoid being investigated and so is not mentioned/held to account in any report.

Twitter must be going into meltdown.

Twitter is exuberant because the trans activists seem to be completely at a loss for words. (For the moment at least.) It's a good read:

twitter.com/search?q=mermaids%20charity&src=typed_query&f=live

I really hope that this gets the mainstream news coverage it deserves - I'm looking at you BBC!!

I know this is very much a minor detail given the much bigger and welcome news announced this morning but just to say to @FannyCann - that Christ Church story has been updated in PE for at least a couple of years, I’d say. It is absolutely staggering. Every update brings an even more jaw-dropping development re the actions of the College.

Special mention for "ding-dong, sterilising kids is wrong!"