Dora's quest for justice

Hello, my name is Dora and I'm fundraising to support my quest for justice. An academic, I have devoted the last 30+ years to the teaching of law and encouraging thousands of students to embrace its beauty. This is my story.

Warwick University, my former employer, retaliated strongly against me when I disclosed to the Information Commissioner breaches of data protection law and defended human rights and equality law. They concocted false, defamatory and chilling allegations of misconduct and gross misconduct which did not even comply with the University’s own policies and procedures and they kept maintaining them while I was providing evidence to them that I was innocent and they were victimising me unlawfully. They suspended me for six months, barred me from the campus, my office and from accessing my books and papers; prohibited me from contacting my students and my colleagues, placed me unnecessarily under disciplinary investigation for four months; ignored my protests and grievances for nine months, refused to factualise their allegations for months and convened a disciplinary hearing when I was ill and dismissed me in absentia on 20 July 2020. They notified me by email on 29 July 2020. In other words, they sought to destroy my whole life’s work without any ethical or professional restraint or a second thought.

I brought my legal actions and expended significant resources. But they have thus far evaded judicial accountability and public scrutiny. The local (Birmingham) employment tribunal has ensured this by delaying, and refusing to list, a hearing of my cases for two years and then by striking out my claims when the final merits hearing was due to take place following a three and half year waiting period.

The tribunal doors were shut for two days by an employment judge who refused to allow observers to attend the proceedings. I was then placed under enormous pressure to abandon my submissions for breaches of human rights and fundamental provisions of EU law for, in his opinion, this is ‘European jurisprudence’ and I did not need to invoke it. Important facts and my submissions were ignored and no final merits hearing took place.

Meanwhile, Warwick University had placed an interim charging order onto our family house and land for £75,000 in the country court.

I find it difficult to rationalise that this is all happening in a country that purports to be a democracy and to comply with the rule of law. I have been demonstrating my innocence to Warwick University executives and to judges for years and they pretend not to listen to me. But employment tribunal judges are paid by the public purse to protect our rights effectively and not to trample over them and/or to engage in conduct that is demonstrably hostile to a party, abusive, prejudiced or biased. They cannot display favour or ill will. Justice is a very important public service. It should not only be delivered but should also manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be delivered.

I have spent considerable resources on this litigation. But I cannot give up and accept the abuse of my rights. Nor have I lost my faith in law, having taught thousands of University students to appreciate its beauty over the last thirty years. If normal legal rules do not apply to me, it is not law’s fault. If important legal principles are not complied with by public authorities, that is, the University of Warwick and tribunals, law is not to be blamed.

I would like to hire a legal team which will show this, will scrutinise all breaches of the law and violations of rights thus far and will defend our values of open justice, fairness, equality before the law and the rule of law.

I would be grateful for your help and for any donation.

With thanks,

Dora