An email titled "The Hijab Owl" sparks outrage and ends a legal career.
A long-serving court expert from Graz has been removed from Austria’s official list of certified experts after a racist email and allegations of sexist behavior raised serious concerns about his professionalism and reliability.
The man had worked for around four decades analyzing accidents for courts. However, his reputation collapsed after a controversial email sent to a Muslim woman who had applied for a job at a pharmacy. In the message, he referred to the applicant as a “Schleiereule” (veiled owl), a remark widely criticized as racist after the email became public.
The controversy quickly sparked widespread outrage and prompted scrutiny within the judiciary. According to reports in Kleine Zeitung, the expert later admitted that sending the email was a mistake and described it as “complete nonsense,” acknowledging that he should not have written it.
Shortly after the email incident surfaced, another allegation emerged. A trainee judge reported that during a car ride following a site inspection in May 2024, the expert made inappropriate comments about her appearance. He allegedly described her short hairstyle as “sharp” and “erotic” and touched her upper arm or shoulder during the drive, which she considered clearly inappropriate.
The expert denied any sexual harassment and said he could not remember the incident. He stated that he might compliment someone if they were “handsome” and suggested the physical contact could have happened accidentally while reversing the car. He also claimed he sometimes used the word “erotic” in a completely different context, such as describing windy or uncomfortable locations.
Despite his explanations, the Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Federal Administrative Court) upheld the decision to remove him from the official list of court-certified experts. The ruling cited concerns about his “Vertrauenswürdigkeit” (trustworthiness) and lack of insight into the seriousness of his behavior.
Although he has lost his official certification, the Graz native can still technically be appointed as an expert witness by judges or lawyers in the future—provided they are willing to trust his professional judgment.