Court ordered sorriness: Judicial perspectives in discrimination cases

Authors/Creators

Joshua Aston, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Kenneth Yin, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Prafula Pearce, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Author Identifier (ORCID)

Joshua Aston: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7850-081X

Kenneth Yin: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2071-7354

Prafula Pearce: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3072-7406

Abstract

While the power to order an apology is not in doubt, whether courts should order an apology involves complex legal, ethical and practical considerations. Drawing on recent human rights cases, the article offers a view on how the courts have addressed the tension that arises in ordering an apology against a reluctant litigant despite recognising the role of an apology in redressing the grievance. The preponderance of judicial authority leans away from ordering an apology against a reluctant litigant; the court is also not disposed to ordering an apology against a public officer who is reluctant to give one.

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

1-1-2025

Publication Title

Alternative Law Journal

Publisher

Sage

School

School of Business and Law

RAS ID

82077

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Comments

Aston, J., Yin, K., & Pearce, P. (2024). Court ordered sorriness: Judicial perspectives in discrimination cases. Alternative Law Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1037969X251340422