Any advice on mobbing?

[Yankee]

In the US, any talk of "mobbing" (as you're using it in this thread) would likely be a result of discussion about Heinz Leymann's research. Otherwise, words such as bullying or harassment are still the terms used here.

I certainly hope that this woman's lawyer has informed her that if she loses her case, she will be saddled not only with her own legal expenses and the court costs, but also with the legal expenses incurred by the other side!!! As I understand the German legal system, she might initially be able to receive "Rechtskostenhilfe" from the government. (You mentioned that she is destitute, so she would qualify to have her legal expenses paid by the government.) However, after the case has been decided, the state will keep track of her financial situation (unless she won the case), and if she begins to earn money, the government will expect to be paid back the money it paid out for her case. The only thing I don't know is exactly how high her income would have to be before the government would demand to be paid back. And, of course, legal fees and court costs tend to add up to quite tidy sums.

In my experience, lawyers have a tendency to not even mention these sorts of unpleasant details.

Naturally, if she were to win her case outright, all legal expenses would have to be paid by the other side.
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[Ralf]

That's a very accurate observation. She can get her governmental funding as long as the state of Saxony thinks she'll win the case. Sadly enough, she probably won't win the case. Even the lawyer told her so. But this girl is obsessed with the idea of "justice must be done" and "I want my scholarship back coz this is my last chance". Problem is that in my situation I can't tell her much. I'm just the interpreter, so I have to refrain from taking sides. I just wish I could give her a valuable tip other than "you have no chance, leave it". I really believe that she was bullyied, but it looks as though she has no chance to make a case for mobbing.
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[Yankee]

[Ralf]

[Yankee]

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Not knowing any of the people involved and so few details makes it tough to judge the situation. If she's truly been the victim of so-called "mobbing", I can understand her desire to give her victimizers a taste of their own medicine and to set things right. But what will she gain? It sounds to me as if she's already begun a process of simply saddling herself with debt.

Even if she won her case, I'd be willing to bet that it would take longer than the estimates she's been given. A LOT longer. That's the nature of the legal process.

It sounds as if she speaks very little German. That means she wouldn't be able to do much in the way of defending herself directly. Literally everything would be indirect for her -- the words and interpretations of other people rather than her own words. Presumably everything submitted to the court would have to be be written in German, so she wouldn't even be able to check the documents written by her "own" people for accuracy before they were submitted to the court. And would everything written and said by the other side have to be translated into English for her?

I get the initial impression that she has little to no idea of exactly what she's getting herself into and just how hard, frustrating and expensive it may well end up being. Does she realize that she will in essence continue to be "mobbed" by the other side during the court proceedings? Obviously the other side is going to mount a defense, and obviously the opposing lawyer will want to paint as negative a picture of her as possible.

What will happen if she wins? Will she get her scholarship back and continue working towards her PhD at the same university? In the same department? With the same people???
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[Torsten]

[Ralf]

[Ralf]