Fired lesbian editor loses in Finnish court
A lesbian editor who claimed she was fired from her job due to her sexuality has lost her case for damages in a Finnish court.
Johanna Korhonen was fired from Finnish daily paper Lapin Kansa last year after less than a month in the job.
Yesterday, her claim for 230,000 euros (£196,931) in damages for discrimination was rejected by a judge at Helsinki district court, who ruled the publication had not discriminated against her.
She was also ordered to pay 8,000 euros to cover her former employer’s legal fees.
The case received much coverage in the Finnish media, with President Tarja Halonen saying she was shocked by the claims.
In October 2008, the Labour Protection Office ruled that the decision to dismiss Korhonen on the basis of her being in a relationship with a woman was unjust discrimination.
While Korhonen argued she had been fired because her partner was a woman, Lapin Kansa said her contract had been terminated because she had given misleading and incorrect information regarding her partner’s political activities.
Her partner was a candidate for the local council in the city where the newspaper is based. The couple said she suspended campaigning when Korhonen was appointed as editor.
After the hearing, Korhonen said she was shocked at the court’s decision to reject her claim for damages. She now plans to appeal in a higher court.
