A High Court judge, Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing DBE, has granted my partner, Charles Keidan, and me
permission to proceed with our legal case against the government’s
continued barring of civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples. The
judge has also granted us a Protective Costs Order (PCO) to limit our
liability for the government’s legal costs in the event that our case is
unsuccessful. The judge’s granting of permission and PCO make clear
that our case is of public importance and is in the public interest.
As
our solicitor, Louise Whitfield, a partner at Deighton Pierce Glynn,
put it: “This is an important case about discrimination and human rights
affecting thousands of people; in granting permission the judge
acknowledges the case is arguable and should be heard; PCOs are not
awarded lightly, but only in cases of real public importance which it is
in the public interest for the court to decide.”
Donations are
now URGENTLY required to enable the case to proceed since we could still
be liable for up to £70,000 of legal costs if we lose – an extremely
onerous amount for us with a baby on the way! So we have launched an
appeal for new contributions via crowd-funding website GoFundMe. Please consider donating now, as well as signing our petition.
For further information about today's news, please see the following article in Pink News.
