legal expenses help for sexual harassment case

Aim

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I’m now personally liable to pay back £7,864 of legal expenses within a tight three-month deadline.

Two years ago, I was one of the many women who came forward about allegations of physical harassment, inappropriate sexual behaviour and unsolicited messages received by an individual in a previous workplace. Due to my evidence, I was the only person eligible to try and hold the individual and company accountable. I hoped that by going through the legal system, I could acquire a settlement fee to financially support myself and the other survivors to access necessary mental health support due to our experiences. 

I cannot share any details about the case for legal reasons, nor do I mentally have the capacity to even want to share further details of my experiences so please do respect my privacy on this matter, but due to unforeseen circumstances outside my control the claim is discontinued, with both parties paying their own costs. This has now left me in a financially vulnerable position as I’m now personally liable to pay back the £7,864 of legal expenses within a tight three-month deadline. Due to the stress and anxiety caused by both this incident and the lack of support I received from my previous employer, I have now been diagnosed with PTSD and depression. 

In honesty, I am deeply saddened to know what I have experienced during this lengthy process to receive no justice, I now have to manage this legal financial debt. I’ve always tried to be transparent online with my circumstances as I come from a working-class background and don’t have any alternative financial support, family or significant savings to fall back on, so I’ve had to turn to donations to support myself paying back this debt.

The effects of this experience go beyond the anxiety and PTSD I’ve personally suffered, as I am heartbroken to not see justice served in this instance due to these allegations. It’s an experience all too familiar to survivors of sexual harassment and assault, and I’m still working through the guilt and shame I feel for not being successful in this case. However, as this intensely emotional period of my life comes to an end, I am ready to leave these experiences in the past and move forward with my life.

Posting this has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make and has come with a lot of hesitancy, however, I refuse to continue to be a victim of a system that can’t support the overwhelming number of people who have similarly suffered. Any contributions to this fund will go directly to paying off my legal expenses, and any extra money will go directly to the community of survivors or be donated to a charity that helps women, trans and non-binary individuals experiencing sexual harassment. Please share some with me if you have any to recommend. I understand that this is a difficult time financially for so many people so no amount is too small, and thank you to everyone for continuing to support me.

Much love,

Tori x

This project successfully funded on 14th August 2023