This is the morning session, day two, of the employment tribunal of Samantha Tempest v DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency. We expect to begin at 10am.
Tempest (the claimant or C) is claiming discrimination, harassment and/or victimisation on grounds of gender reassignment. Central to the claim is the Sex Equality and Equity Network in the Civil Service (SEEN or IP). SEEN has been granted right to intervene.
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Abbreviations:
PQ – Anonymised claimant, no longer a party
ST/C – Samantha Tempest, Claimant
DEFRA/R1 – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, first Respondent
RPA/R2 – Rural Payments Agency, second Respondent
RS – First and second Respondents
SEEN/IP – Sex Equality and Equity Network – Civil Service
EW – Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley, co-chair of SEEN
NC – Naomi Cunningham, barrister for SEEN as Intervenor
J – Employment judge SD Robertson
P1 – Panel member 1
P2 – Panel member 2
AL – Alex Line, barrister for Rs
JRL – JR Levins, solicitors for SEEN
HH – Helen Hogben, barrister for claimant
AB – Anna Bond, solicitor for claimant
AM – Andreas Mueller
GC – gender critical or sex realist views
GI – gender identity
TW – transwoman, a man claiming the protected characteristic of gender assignment TM – transman, woman claiming the protected characteristic of gender assignment
INT – Intervenor
ETBB – Equal Treatment Bench Book
GRC – Gender recognition certificate
PC – Protected characteristic
GRA – PC of gender reassignment
DD – Direct discrimination
MLF – My learned friend
We are waiting to be admitted.
J Apologies for starting slightly late - solving technical problems.
HH One matter Judge. List of issues agreed
AL Subject to inclusion of twitter posts
J So that issue not agreed
HH Yes. I'm still not clear re a possible strike out
J Could we hear evidence rather than more
applications.
HH We are looking to disclose further evidence C relies on - failure to moderate and prevent discriminatory behaviour of Andreas Mueller. Two docs - email of complaint from Emma Dunn to several individuals in E Agency and to Nichola Betworth. Letter of complaint
attaching screenshots of twitter posts made by AM. You may have read them in the bundle and are in list of issues. Eg "the clowns have arrived" Second doc is reply from Nicola Betsworth's office ack reciept of complaint. 5/12/23 is first complaint from E Dunn.
HH Reply is 6/7 Dec emails back and forth.
J Have these been shown to other parties.
AL I haven't had opportunity to read email
HH He hasn't had chance to read - we are trying to send it to him.
J Not disclosed yet would be accurate?
HH Yes
J Have you tried to share itwithNC
HH Haven't been able to yet.
J From what you've heard to you object to this?
AL Yes. I have to. Haven't seen doc.
J First thing is to let other parties see them and then we can discuss relevance, prejudice etc.
HH Couldn't do it earlier cos tech difficulties.
AL I don't have doc yet. Don't know how long will take.
HH Doc has just been sent.
NC Not obvious why hold proceedings up before this doc disclosed. Any good reason?
J What is relevance of docs
HH Relevant to one of central issues in case cos c AM behaviour. And re how to deal
with Int's bundle. As we said yesterday.
HH Not necessarily relying on point re my own application, but within Int's suplememtary bundle is complaint made by AM about E Dunn's complaint. AM saying SEEN are the victimised. If allowed to stand alone without clear evidence
to rebut that, C would be at disadvantage cos we would say tribunal may be misled. The problems of 900 page bundle at 11th hour.
J Way to deal is for R and Int to look at additional docs and we'll hear from them and you re how to deal with it.
J We'll stand down for c half hour
J until 11.05 and hear from you c how we go from there.
[court adjourns]
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Second afternoon session, day one, of the employment tribunal of Samantha Tempest v Defra and the Rural Payments Agency. We expect to return some time after 2.50pm.
J This is our unanimous decision on C application to amend claim. C applies to inc allegation that Rs are liable under section 109 2 for actions of EW and AM - actions done as agents for R. Application R liable was first made in 2023. Remains a boiler plate contention
This is the afternoon session, day one, of the employment tribunal of Samantha Tempest v Defra and the Rural Payments Agency, due to begin at 2pm. (PQ is no longer a party.)
Tempest (the claimant or C) is claiming discrimination, harassment and/or victimisation on grounds of gender reassignment. Central to the claim is the Sex Equality and Equity Network in the Civil Service (SEEN or IP). SEEN has been granted right to intervene.
J - with preliminary matters we will give decisions but not extensive reasons. Is that okay?
NC - may depend on the outcome
J - the tribunal will use preferred name and pronouns, C has pc of GRA. As to the Intervenor and witness we understand their position and accept that we
cannot compel witness to use specific pronouns, we ask the Intervenor as far as possible to use gender neutral language, we appreciate that this will be difficult, accidental slips may happen, but deliberate use of the wrong term or misgendering will be seen
We hope to report today on the employment tribunal of Samantha Tempest & PQ vs DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency.
It is the first day of hearings so there may well applications or other business for the Tribunal to deal with. Official start time is 10 am.
PQ & Tempest (the claimants or Cs) are claiming discrimination, harassment and/or victimisation on grounds of gender reassignment. Central to the claim is the Sex Equality and Equity Network in the Civil Service (SEEN or IP). SEEN has been granted right to intervene.
We expect the afternoon session of the JR brought by Sex Matters against the National Police Chief's Council and the British Transport Police to resume at 2 pm.
Abbreviations are in the thread below.
We resume.
FB - hope to give you some assistance in interpretation on how consent works in sec 5 of PACE. But starting with Criminal Justice Act of Scotland, it is a good example of how to make an consent based search model unlawful. Absolutely clear what is unlawful.
A constable can only search on police powers. We would expect this if common law on consent was no longer operable under PACE.
Now onto consent & PACE, 3 examples to share. Consent must be requested first and if not given then coercive powers must be used.
Tribunal is taking a short break. We will return with part two of the morning session. NR has said he expects to go until lunchtime with this witness.
AH - Angela Harrington, heard C's appeal of dismissal
J - dealing with sound issues clerk has moved microphones, and also some picking up typing sounds, that's probably me, further discussion.
NR - ground 2 of appeal was that she was dismissed for interpretation of tweets that was not put to her and that it was wrong to dismiss