Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 4

[ickky]

Started on 2nd October at Watford Employment Tribunal (Radius House, 51 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1HP 01923 281750)

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Header should read

URGENT CURRENT CASE - Public Access Request - J Phoenix - The Open University - 3322700/2021

Ask for access link and pin and please give your name and address in the email as they check when you connect to the tribunal.

The clerk will ask you (in a private remote room) to put your camera on to verify, this involves looking at you, but no ID is needed. You may turn off your camera after this pointless and unnecessary process.

Abbreviations

JP - Jo Phoenix, Claimant (C)
OU - The Open University, Respondent (R)
J - Regional Employment Judge Young
P - Panel or panel member
BC - Ben Cooper KC, Counsel for C
JM - Jane Mulcahy KC, Counsel for R

OU Departments & Networks:

HWSRA - Health & Wellbeing Strategic Research Area
FASS - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SPC - Dept of Social Policy & Criminology
KMi - Knowledge Media Institute
GCRN - Gender Critical Research Network

OU witnesses

PB - Dr Paraskevi Boukli, Former Senior Lecturer Criminology, Deputy Head SPC 2021-22
IF - Prof Ian Fribbance Dean of FASS
MW - Prof Marcia Wilson, Dean EDI, 2020-23
CM - Caragh Molloy, Group People Director 2019-23
LD - Dr Leigh Downes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology (in SPC), Academic Lead for EDI FASS 2019-21
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22
PK - Peter Keogh, Professor Health & Society, Member RSSH
CW - Dr Christopher Williams, Senior Lecturer History
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language
NatS - Natalie Starkey, Outreach & Public Engagement Officer Sch Physical Sciences, 2019-22
CT - Cath Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager
RH - Richard Holliman, Prof Engaged Research, Head School Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, 2019-22. Member of Investigation Panel investigating the C’s grievance

Witness for JP:

SE - Sarah Earle, Professor Modern History Uni of Oxford, Founding member GCRN

Tribunal Tweets - https://twitter.com/tribunaltweets

TT coverage so far https://tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/professor-jo-phoenix-v-the-open-university

Thread 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4905118-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-2nd-october-whispers-ben-cooper?page=1

Thread 2 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4913946-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-2?page=1

Thread 3 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4917480-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-3

I have received nothing from the court, so I will be reading this thread and TT on twitter!

Ladies, please be as detailed as you want reporting here. A bunch of us are counting on you!

Morning all 👋

I've been thinking about the Judge...

She seems like a very sensible and intelligent woman, and asks plenty of salient questions.

I wonder, if this is the first GC tribunal she's heard, perhaps she thought she had to ask for pronouns (as per the ETBB)? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yesterday, she appeared to be peaking in front of our very eyes.

Hello all! A carefully worded post here to say Jo sends her thanks for the amazing Periodic Table Song.

@ickky and @BenCoopersSupportWren I'm sure you know, but just a little shout out to the Wimms here and looking in, hurray!

@Gabcsika

I do try but trouble is, by the time I have finished typing what they are saying, it has moved on, I am too slow.

It is better to read the TT threads and just use this to get a flavour of moods, tone of voice etc.

I mean, we're pretty much left with "feeling aggrieved and upset that this person is proof I haven't yet been able to force the entire world to bend the knee to my religion", aren't we?

Yes, and it's then most clearly that you see the cluster B personality disorders so inherent among TRAs. The histrionic hyperbole and narcissistic rage meltdowns.

@LarkLane That's lovely, thank you for that.

Hope she knows she has a lot of support here. We are all cheering her on.

I think Francis Aaron should do a rap about waiting for the conference host to join.

Yes

you CANNOT satisfy these people. You just have to say no to their unreasonable demands

except they’re energetic nutcases who won’t take no for an answer

much easier to discriminate against reasonable people, because they’re, yanno, reasonable, and will just go quietly if you’re lucky

Yesterday was a day it would have been good to have individual cameras like in Allison's case. Just to see BC and Judge's face at the point CM said they'd never read the grievance.

Well it seems she does @ickky. Hurrah! Everyone is giving her so much strength I'm sure.

We're in!

Morning all - I have no sound. Is it just me?

Timetable discussion - Judge saying we MUST finish evidence by end of Tuesday. We're due to go to 5pm today. Ben's voice is sounding a bit croaky. Asking on the order of the witnesses, and agreeing which are the key/important witnesses (Panel have questions for some of them).

@LarkLane much love to Jo and her partner

Doesn't seem fair if BC has to reduce his time because JM took ages with JP

Ben is losing his voice but hopes to be able to last the day.

I thought he sounded a bit croaky yesterday, actually.

BC says he shouldn't be forced to limit his time with impt witnesses as a result of eg longer exam by JM. J doesn't sound happy with BC questioning timetable.

I have name changed in honour, although it's a but early for a bowl of custard for me.

I'm still stuck on yesterday's 'only answer if you can answer quickly' or whatever it was from Ben Cooper. How many other KC have ever had to say that out loud to a witness - I don't want to hear your answer if it's twaffle?

BC pushing back because he wants enough time with LD, DD and LW. Not happy with a Tuesday deadline.

1st witness eventually agreed the OU could have done more and been balanced about ‘harm’ caused to TRAs and harms to JP et Al.
2nd witness, head of HR, hadn’t read Jo’s grievance either then or since.
3rd witness was the comedy act, said it was wrong of Jo to say that people with penises couldn’t have babies and that GC views were a threat to the view that TWAW.
I May have missed out someone.

I’m dying to know what’s to come with BC being so insistent. Surely he could just finish now and win?

Bless him, this case has obviously taken a heavy personal toll on Ben.

BC has not seen his family properly for a month now and is saying that the number of witnesses and work involved and writing submissions puts pressure on him. Poor Ben.