An employment tribunal has been forced to issue a correction to a 312-page judgment after allegedly including a "made-up" quote, prompting author JK Rowling to condemn the errors as "absolutely scandalous behaviour coming from a judge". The certificate of correction was released last Thursday, days after the judgment concerning nurse Sandie Peggie was published.
The amended judgment had referenced a previous employment tribunal case involving Maya Forstater, chief executive of the charity Sex Matters. Forstater stated that the original version contained fabricated quotes attributed to her case. The judgment also contained a partial quote from a Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case that had been edited so its meaning was "completely reversed".
Rowling questions judicial trust
Rowling responded on X, questioning how such errors could occur in the judiciary. «Nobody's surprised when sloppy students use AI shortcuts, or when internet activists intentionally or accidentally propagate falsehoods, but we're supposed to be able to trust the judiciary,» she wrote.
The Harry Potter author added: «This is absolutely scandalous behaviour coming from a judge.»
Forstater suggests AI involvement
Forstater expressed astonishment at the errors and called for an explanation. «I knew this was wrong, and it's good it's being amended, but I am astonished that it happened and I would like an explanation of how it happened,» she said in a statement.
She suggested the mistakes might have resulted from AI use. «Claimants and witnesses going to court swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and we expect nothing less from the judges,» Forstater said.
«There are several errors in the judgment beyond the made-up quote attributed to my judgment,» she noted, adding: «Mistakes like this severely undermine people's confidence in the legal process.»
Original case and appeal
The employment tribunal had upheld Ms Peggie's claims of harassment but dismissed allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination, and victimisation. Her legal team has announced plans to appeal the ruling, stating that some of its findings are "highly problematic".
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
