We must fight again: Ridd vows to continue legal battle after JCU lodges appeal

James Cook University has decided to appeal a Federal Circuit Court decision that would see the university pay $1.2m in compensation to sacked professor Peter Ridd. As a result, Ridd took to his GoFundMe page to raise money to cover legal costs to continue his battle. “We must fight again and will need about $1.5m to take this as far as the High Court if necessary,” Ridd said to supporters. “I have little doubt that we will win.” Since his announcement on the page late last night, Ridd has raised approximately $80,000 on top of the $260,000 already donated to fund his original court case. In mid-April, Federal Circuit Court judge Salvatore Vasta ruled that JCU’s termination of Ridd’s employment was unlawful. After the decision was handed down, JCU provost Professor Chris Cocklin said the university disagreed with the judgement and “maintain we have not taken issue with Dr Ridd’s nor any other employee’s rights to academic freedom”. Cocklin said JCU was troubled by the fact the judge "fails to refer to any legal precedent or case law in Australia to support his interpretation of our enterprise agreement, or academic freedom in Australian employment law”. Earlier this month, Vasta ordered JCU to pay $1.2 million in penalties and compensation to Ridd. On hearing that JCU was appealing, Ridd said he and partner Cheryl considered “just walking away”. “After all, why should I ask donors for $1.5m to fight a pointless battle that the state or federal education ministers could settle with a phone call to JCU? “Your donation, great or small, will not just help me fund this essential battle, it will also send a powerful message to governments about what the public expect of our universities,” he said on the web page.