A man is suing Cambridge because he didn't pass his defense. He argues it's not fair because he is less able than other candidates to write a thesis
From the article: Outlining the claim, the judge said: “Mr Meagher… is a student at the University of Cambridge… undertaking a PhD in law. [He] did not successfully pass his final viva voce examination of his doctoral thesis.
“He issued a claim against the university, together with five named individuals employed by the university.
“The claim alleges disability discrimination and victimisation of various kinds under the Equality Act 2010, breach of contract and breach of common law duty of care.
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“[He] sought damages, on the basis that the non-completion of his PhD led to the lost opportunity to take up a tenancy as a barrister at a particular set of chambers and that Mr Meagher has, as such, suffered a substantial loss of earnings.”
The court was told that Cambridge awards PhDs based on the completion of a 100,000-word thesis and an oral interview about it with two examiners “appointed to assess his suitability”.
“On 26 April 2023, the outcome of Mr Meagher’s viva was delivered,” the judge continued.
“They declined to recommend the award of PhD but indicated that Mr Meagher should be allowed to revise his thesis and resubmit it.”
The court heard that Mr Meagher believes to have been discriminated against because of the university’s criteria, saying they placed him at a “substantial disadvantage”.
This is because he is “less able than other candidates of the same ability to produce a singular lengthy and multifaceted piece of work such as a PhD thesis”, the High Court was told.