Almut Gadow crowdjustice for case against OU

[Lovelyview]

I'm sure Almut's case has been mentioned in previous gardening threads. She is taking the OU to court after they tried to force her to incorporate gender ideology into her course curriculum and then dismissed her when she refused. Her Crowdfunder for her employment tribunal claim appears to have one day left although the case is going to court in 2025 so they may extend it. Google Crowdjustice Almut Gadow to find it.

I can't believe the OU are going through this circus again after the Jo Phoenix humiliation. Donated.

I donated when her case was first mentioned on MN. How far short is she?

She's at £94,100 of a £160,000 stretch target.

Thanks...

OU lawyers seem to have been taking intimidation advice from a bundle-botherer who sometimes troubles this board.

https://x.com/AlmutGadow/status/1883087853162487925?t=erNY6gg63FbIwRaUSmTWfA&s=19

That's really shocking.
I like Almut's response, very cool and un-intimidated, good for her!

If anyone follows Almut on X can you tweet or message that the donation button has vanished from her crowdfunder. I hope this means she is receiving support from elsewhere and is not a problem on the crowdfunder website. I dont use X.

Not the first time there have been tricks from the OU and may not be the last.

Someone's already asked about that. She said the Crowdfunder isn't currently active, biut didn't say why.

FFS, they are so convinced of their righteousness that they can't understand how they come across. Utterly inappropriate behaviour and I'm so embarrassed to be associated with such fuckwittery that I don't use my OU letters. I use my other ones but don't want any link with them.

Almut has also posted on X that the OU's solicitor for her case is Smita Jamdar of Shakespeare Martineau - the same Smita Jamdar who was originally employed by the OU to do the review after the Jo Phoenix case, and who was then un-assigned that role after it was pointed out that Smita Jamdar " had a track record of maligning TERFs and of saying the judgments in Phoenix (and Forstater) were wrong." (I am quoting Almut Gadow there, in the 3rd tweet in this thread: https://x.com/AlmutGadow/status/1884211079846453444 )

Almut's crowdfunder hasn't been updated since November 2023 when she said she expected the case to be heard in February or March 2025. Hopefully there will be an update soon!

Are they trying to win their money back or something? “Let’s bet big on this one, surely we can’t lose again?”

The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome.

Possibly partly trying to appease the staff who were so roundly criticised but also hoping for a judge who would agree with them so they can go on discriminating.

Idiots are still convinced they are righteous.

I think this is the next up, for Employment Tribunal addicts - the latest update says a 4 week (!) hearing starting on Feb 24. It seems as though she has enough plants, at least the crowdjustice page hasn't reopened (and she said something earlier about knowing that and hoping the OU weren't going to do anything to make her need more money). It seems really unbelievable that the OU are going through with this... but as it seems they are, let's have the thread bumped in the hope that we get details of how to apply to listen in, fairly shortly. Akua Reindorf KC will be the barrister apparently.

The final hearing has now been listed for 24 February to 21 March 2025. We have requested video access to the hearing to be made available, for live tweeters and members of the public who wish to follow the proceedings. While this has not yet been formally confirmed, neither the judge nor the Open University opposed the request in principle, so I hope this will be available.

That's 4 weeks. Although looking at it another way, the Sandie Peggie hearing will last that length of time. But these ETs are becoming very long. (I realise that part of this could be the OU flooding the evidence with witness statements from all and sundry.)

I think the Jo Phoenix one was similar in that there were lots of OU witnesses.

It seems likely that the OU will produce lots of witnesses again as their strategy is to run up the costs and hope women will back down. We know how that worked out for them last time.

If the OU witnesses are up to the same standard as the Phoenix ones, I might need to invest in a jaw reinforcer to protect it against all the drops.

The OU reported a big deficit last year.

“<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/tBoc9/www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/open-university" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Open University, the UK’s largest distance learning university, reported a second successive year with an operating deficit, of £10.3 million, after a 4 per cent fall in taught students.

“Like many universities, we are feeling the impact of a crumbling higher education funding model, the damage done to the UK economy by lockdown and a changing consumer market,” <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/tBoc9/www5.open.ac.uk/foi/main/sites/www.open.ac.uk.foi.main/files/files/ecms/web-content/Financial_Report_2024_online.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">writes interim vice-chancellor Josie Fraser.

With many other institutions now focused on flexibility and support for working students, she says the institution’s “proposition is no longer the differentiator it once was”.”

Quote from THE, archive version available here https://archive.ph/tBoc9

There’s also an ongoing fire and rehire dispute - see eg here https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13729/UCU-calls-on-Open-University-to-withdraw-fire--rehire-threat

I wonder whether the reason we haven’t heard much from Almut recently is because there will be a settlement announcement soon. They did recently settle with Pilgrim Tucker:

“As many of you will know I initiated a legal claim against the Open University on grounds of discrimination and breach of contract.”

I am pleased to say that following discussions between myself and the University, a mutually agreed resolution has been reached.

Link: https://x.com/pilgrimtucker/status/1858903383022641525?s=61&t=TN4CzXKpOm6TjNuEIWLnuA

They have also recently settled with Jon Pike:

”Personal Announcement (thread)

I have agreed to settle a long-running legal dispute with my employer @OpenUniversity and a colleague.”

Link: https://x.com/runthinkwrite/status/1828193644832055744?s=61&t=TN4CzXKpOm6TjNuEIWLnuA

The Jon Pike settlement is interesting - if you look on his Twitter thread about this he clearly refers to this as being a GC issue, related to the research network he set up with Jo Phoenix. Unlike Jo Phoenix, or Kathleen Stock, or Rosa Freedman, or Pilgrum Tucker - or indeed Almut Gadow - Jon Pike was represented by UCU. He also used his settlement announcement thread to criticise UCU for not supporting other GC academics.

I genuinely hope the OU is not going to be spending money it doesn’t have dragging out the dispute with AG. It’s such an important institution, offering opportunities for students unable to access HE in other settings, and it needs to focus on surviving the very challenging circumstances all universities are now in.

(Which is not to say that AG should not push to have her day weeks in court if that’s what she wants/needs/has been advised is necessary! This is just me expressing hope that the OU is sorting itself out, despite the fact that I am also curious about this case and the issues that it will bring into public discussion 😊)

The institution’s “proposition is no longer the differentiator it once was”.

I love that.. whatever it means😂
Only kidding, I know what it means but I love the waffly way it's expressed.

Is a differentiator anything like a fascinator? Should I be getting one to wear to Ascot?😄

Good luck to Almut, she'll have all of us cheering her on from the sidelines!

So UCU supported a man but doesnt support women? Are UCU now supporting Almut Gadow, I wonder. Dont know if she is a member or not.

Unlike Jo Phoenix, or Kathleen Stock, or Rosa Freedman, or Pilgrum Tucker - or indeed Almut Gadow - Jon Pike was represented by UCU.

Hmm. Like anyolddinosaur, I wonder what the difference between those 2 groups could possibly be.

@anyolddinosaur @NoBinturongsHereMate

Yes, I couldn't think of a difference between Jon Pike and the others on the list either...

I have no idea if Almut Gadow is in UCU, but I have a vague recollection of seeing somewhere that she was being supported by Free Speech Union.

Quite

The OU came across so so badly as an organisation during the Jo Phoenix case. I can't believe they are ready to embarrass themselves again.

Surely this must be the last one with the OU? Don't their legal team know that they're flogging a dead horse? Judgement after judgement on similar cases going the way they have and yet they still plough blindly on.

Maybe they’re playing an odds game?

”We've lost or settled out of court on the last three now, boss”

”So statistically we’ve got to win this one, yes?”

”Well…”

”Double or quits?”