Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 7

[ickky]

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

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

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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
PK - Peter Keogh, Professor Health & Society, Member RSSH
CW - Dr Christopher Williams, Senior Lecturer History
KS - Kevin Shakesheff. PVC for Research and Innovation
NatS - Natalie Starkey, Outreach & Public Engagement Officer Sch Physical Sciences, 2019-22
HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods
JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
RH - Richard Holliman, Prof Engaged Research, Head School Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, 2019-22. Member of Investigation Panel investigating the C’s grievance
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21😇
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language
CT - Cath Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager

Witness for JP:

SE - Professor Sarah Earle, Head of the HWSRA

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

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

Prof Jo Phoenix Witness Statement (scroll to bottom of page and download)

https://jophoenix.substack.com/p/phoenix-v-open-university?sd=pf

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

Thread 4 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4918479-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-4

Thread 5 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4919223-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-5

Thread 6 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4921308-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-6

Equating GC with racism, unbelievable. Kudos to Ben for not starting with this. He has carefully led her to this point.

BC: calling someone a racist or the equivalent - fundamentally prejudiced in some way - is one of the ultimate modern sins

DD: not necessarily ultimate (!)

Where is the evidence of her trying to get her dept to see JP's side?

Yes{ I would be like a dog, on my belly saying please, please don't hurt me.

Me too.

BC finished with DD

If I were facing any KC I'd make sure I'd written an accurate witness statement and that I had checked relevant dates etc. because I'm not a numpty who thinks that hurty feels trumps the law

Wonder how much she tried to "help" Downes, Boukli, Williams etc see the "other side"?

Did you help make the colleagues who were opposed to Jo’s belief to understand her belief.

Mic drop you equated her to a racist.

DD: V difficult to lose a prof from a dept, replacing them isn't straightforward, so last thing I would have wanted is for JP to feel alienated.

[says more than perhaps she meant to c who/what matters]

Oh Ben, in all the tribunals I have followed, this is the master stroke. It really is. There is just no going back from equating Jo with a racist. There really isn't.

I bet DD is raging to end on that point.

Because the ultimate modern sin is to be called transphobic.

Judge - the conference, wants to understand the chronology.

Mmmnotsure
DD: not necessarily ultimate (!)

Because the ultimate modern sin is to be called transphobic.

🎯

When the speaker pulled, what steps did you take to replace them.

DD - None

You slipped him a box of high quality Swiss chocolate wrens, didn't you?

<narrows eyes>

What time are they sitting until today?

I think 5pm today

DD- we had a number of people from Liverpool and John Moore's uni's speaking, they are closely linked and we thought if one speaker dropped out more would follow.

👍🏻

So, when she likened linked Jo's beliefs to racism, what this before or after Maya's 2nd case?

So they cancelled the conference even though the person they were honouring didn't want it to be cancelled

I'm astonished the panel can keep up with all this in the detail that they display by asking such specific questions. I get lost very quickly