Saima Mohsin Wins Right To Sue CNN For Unfair Dismissal & Discrimination After Injury On Assignment
EXCLUSIVE: Former CNN journalist Saima Mohsin has won the right to take the news network to an employment tribunal in the UK with her claim of unfair dismissal and discrimination after she was injured on assignment in Israel.
Judge Klimov ruled in Mohsin’s favor following a preliminary hearing last month, meaning that her case can proceed to a full tribunal at the London Central Employment Tribunal. A date for the hearing is yet to be determined.
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CNN declined to comment. The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network disputed Mohsin’s case on territorial grounds, arguing that her employment contract meant that the UK tribunal did not have jurisdiction over her claims.
Mohsin, who now works on a freelance basis for Sky News, was injured on assignment in Jerusalem for CNN in 2014 when she was covering the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Her cameraman ran over her foot, causing tissue damage and chronic pain, meaning she uses a walking stick and is unable to work full-time. The incident also led to a mental health breakdown and Mohsin suffers from depression. She claims that CNN terminated her contract in 2017 after she requested alternative duties and support during rehab.
Her case can now proceed on the grounds of dismissal, disability discrimination, victimization, failure to make reasonable adjustments, and equal pay in relation to claims after March 1, 2017. A separate claim of racial discrimination falls outside of this period of consideration so will not now move forward.
Deadline understands that Mohsin has repeatedly indicated her willingness to settle outside of legal proceedings, but CNN has so far declined to do so. She said the news network has exacerbated her “pain and suffering” by continuing with the legal action.
“I have constantly offered reinstatement or mediation and negotiations. I didn’t ask for this battle while learning to deal with an invisible disability and rebuild my life. But it was important I take a stand,” she said in a statement. The British-Pakistani correspondent said her case raises questions about protections for journalists and the treatment of those with a disability.
Mohsin did not have a solicitor but was represented by barristers Paras Gorasia and Jennifer Robinson of Doughty Street Chambers.
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