Volkskrant editor wrongly fired over a #metoo accusation

Where there’s smoke, there’s not always fire, as this case shows.
A De Volkskrant editor was, according to the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, wrongly dismissed over a #metoo allegation. De Volkskrant must pay the editor a fair compensation of E 370.000 gross.
According to the Court, the editor had, in terms of tone, wording and timing of his (social media) messages to the writers concerned, failed to sufficiently appreciate his position of power as a reviewer, but it was not established that the editor had abused his position, the Court said. In addition to writing reviews, maintaining a network was also one of his job duties. De Volkskrant acted too hastily and should have organized the internal investigation more thoroughly, including by hearing both sides. De Volkskrant acted too hastily and should have organized the internal investigation more thoroughly, including by hearing both sides. De Volkskrant has thereby prematurely decided on dismissal. Therefore the newspaper must now pay fair compensation to make up for the loss of the employment contract. The Court assumes that the editor would have remained employed at DPG Media for another 5 years and, because of all the uproar and his age, would no longer easily find a job at this level. Therefore, the Court awards 370,000 in equitable compensation. The editor had, incidentally, asked for 888.930 euros.