Psychology academic and Labour MP Katya De Giovanni has proceeded to file a case in court after the University of Malta ignored her call to reverse its decision to deny her promotion to associate professor.

Following her judicial protest filed last month, De Giovanni went ahead with further legal action to safeguard her rights, filing an action for judicial review of the University's actions in her regard.

De Giovanni is requesting the First Hall, Civil Court to declare the university's actions null, invalid and with no effect.

She also asked the court to order the university to promote her to the rank of associate professor with retrospective effect. De Giovanni is also seeking damages which are to be shouldered by the university.

Her ordeal began in March 2021 when DeGiovanni, a senior lecturer, applied for promotion to ‘associate professor.’ At the time, she was chair of the Psychology Warranting Board and chair of the Social Care Standards Authority.

In October 2023, De Giovanni was informed that the promotions board had not recommended her promotion.

Aggrieved by that decision which she deemed “arbitrary and unjust,” the academic requested the board to reconsider her application as she had a right to in terms of the collective agreement concerning academic staff at the university.

The board replied on January 26, telling her in a letter that: “Following a detailed analysis of your request and claims, the promotions board agreed that it could still not recommend to council your promotion to associate professor as there were no grounds justifying a change from the original decision.”

De Giovanni pointed out that other candidates, including those whose qualifications and experience were inferior to De Giovanni’s, had been promoted and their applications were processed far more speedily.

Lawyer and fellow Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis signed the writ.