Stack Overflow Inc.: more delays

[cellio]

Continuing from my previous post, the company published policies for moderator removal and reinstatement on Friday to all moderators. I understood this to be an announcement, so when I hadn't heard from David Fullerton with an update by Sunday, I sent email asking about it.

It turns out that what they posted was a draft, and they are making updates based on feedback. I'm glad to hear they're listening to feedback, but this introduces another delay. David said they are finalizing the policies "this week" and will send me the final version when it's done.

Reminder: the company has absolutely refused to reinstate me now, even though they admit that they failed to follow the process they already had for moderator removal. Even though David admits that I deserved the benefit of a private, comprehensive process, and even though a senior employee, Sara Chipps, subsequently maligned me repeatedly and very publicly (which is causing damage), they are unwilling to revert the change and then look at the original situation afresh. I have to instead apply for reinstatement.

From what I've heard through the rumor mill, the process, once started, takes two weeks and is probably biased toward the status quo.

With that as background, here is the email I sent to David tonight in reply to that message:

Thank you for the update.

Can we expedite any of this? Sara's public, defamatory accusations, made in violation of all prior Stack Exchange rules and conventions about privacy, are actively causing me harm every single day. They also resulted from a lack of due process for me. Reinstating me alone will not fix that, but it seems reinstatement is a precondition before SE will mitigate the harm done by these actions. From what you've said and the rumors I've heard about the timing in the policy, we're looking at another three weeks of delay and thus continuing damage.

I don't think you intend to cause serious ongoing harm to me. What can we do to alleviate it?

---

While I'm posting... a couple people have asked me questions privately, so:

• I was not warned either that I was violating the CoC or that I was facing possible removal.

• If SE is considering the messages in TL from Sara on September 18 to be warnings, then I did not subsequently violate the CoC, current or future. (I also did not interpret them as warnings that my status was in danger.)

• There was one piece of email from a CM that suggested that if I couldn't see a path toward resolving the matter, I should step down. But I did see a path and said so. So (1) that wasn't a warning of impending termination and (2) even if it had been, the condition was not met.

• I didn't go disrupt something elsewhere on the network after leaving TL. I didn't do anything that would call for an urgent response.

• I think it is likely that the reinstatement process will be rigged against me. Nonetheless, I will go through it if that path is made available in the reasonably near future.

Edit 2019-10-22: The next email I received was on October 21, when a community manager emailed me to let me know the new processes were about to be posted.

Comments

[cellio]

Thanks.

I have to defend myself against the defamation. That's causing real harm to me. :-(

Defending against defamation

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know you, have never had any interaction with you, but this whole debacle has been very enlightening. If this is how Stack Exchange plans on running their business I have no interest in giving them my time or my intellectual property (ie, content).

I have already noticed a subtle change in many Q/A threads - answers have been deleted, questions have been modified. I believe Stack Exchange is learning - and about to learn even more acutely - that if your business relies on an engaged community it's a very bad business decision to alienate that community.

Like so many others, I'm sorry this has happened to you. It's encouraging to see the overwhelming amount of support you've had from fellow moderators and users of the various communities. If legal fees would be a financial burden to you I think you could start a gofundme that would more than take care of those expenses.

Good luck to you Monica and take heart in knowing there are a LOT of us who know you are in the right.

Re: Defending against defamation

[cellio]

Thanks! The visible support has been very gratifying, yes. It doesn't make the hurt go away, but it dulls it some. I'll take that!

Defamation cases are hard to prosecute, but I'm keeping all options open right now. If it looks like I need to do something expensive, enough people have suggested the GoFundMe approach that I'll probably give it a shot. Initial fees and suchlike are not a problem, but I know (sadly, from past experience) that legal actions can run into big bucks pretty quickly, especially if there's a corporate lawyer on the other end who can afford to spend money to make you spend money.