This thread is a result of the investigation and subsequent recommendations regarding the November 2020 Disciplinary Incident, available in full detail here. It is recommended staffers consult that thread for full context before commenting here. Additionally, staffers may consult the exhaustive timeline of events for further detail if needed.
DrMagnus took an otherwise-minor exchange with Cerastes, interpreting his actions very harshly, and inappropriately presented a disciplinary complaint. He was strongly, and repeatedly, involved in the internal Disciplinary Team discussions about this complaint, despite recognizing and stating multiple times that he should recuse himself. His presence and persistence within the team's discussion poisoned the well, marring Cerastes' credibility to a degree that some form of wrongdoing was assumed before the team had a serious opportunity to investigate specific claims. In addition to having a self-acknowledged conflict of interest due to being both a complainant and a deliberator, he referenced his IRL stresses which had the effect of manipulating other team members into being overly sympathetic towards him, vilify Cerastes, and justify the legitimacy of the case. Rather than distancing himself from staff matters entirely due to the IRL circumstances he was in, he instead spent a significant amount of time on the case, inappropriately using it as an outlet for his stress.
Consequently, as the case evolved differently than he imagined, he hardened his position, interpreting much of the opposition as personal attacks. He applied his personal friendships with Disciplinary Team members as well as his access to the discussion to influence the case, and did not admit fault during or after the incident. His actions were born from high personal stress, but were still incredibly inappropriate, severely affected the case, influenced the Disciplinary Team's perception of Cerastes and inhibited a proper study of the evidence.
With all of this in mind, it is the recommendation of the group that former administrator DrMagnus receive the following Disciplinary consequences:
- Blacklist from staff. (Staff-wide vote to readmit as staff after a minimum period of one year)
- Temporary ban of three to six months.
The specifics of this punishment and the passage thereof are the subject of this thread. This thread will be open for seven days and is open to all OS+.