HR discriminated by taking female’s complaint more seriously than male’s
March 9th 2023A factory worker has won his claim of sex discrimination after his dispute with a female co-worker was not handled in an equal manner by HR. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Michal Swaciak worked as a team leader production line operative for Rowse Honey from September 2012. In May 2020, a member of his team, Agata Kulaga, was in line for a…
Who pays for repairs when one man’s roof is another man’s floor
March 3rd 2023A judge has settled the tricky question of who pays for repairs when one leaseholder’s floor is another leaseholder’s roof. Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our dispute team reports on this recent case. The case involved two maisonettes contained in a house belonging to two freeholders, who leased them in 1980. The ground-floor maisonette had been extended to provide an additional room beyond the kitchen. The roof of the extension served as a balcony…
Employability advisor was discriminated against because of disability
February 27th 2023An employability advisor was unfairly dismissed on the grounds of disability discrimination after requesting a suitable work chair. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. That was the verdict of the Employment Tribunal in a case involving Justin Griffiths and Dimensions Training Solutions (DTS). Mr Griffiths’ role was to advise the company on correct practices when making adjustments for employees with disabilities. Griffiths had several ailments…
Admin assistant unfairly dismissed after becoming pregnant
February 23rd 2023An admin assistant has been awarded £15,000 compensation after being dismissed when she became pregnant. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Charlotte Leitch who worked for CIS Services Limited, which handles customer information in the rail industry. She joined the company on 21 May 2021 and on 23 June, she told her supervisor that she was unable to work due to…
Employee who returned keys and said ‘I’m done’ was unfairly dismissed
February 20th 2023The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a factory supervisor who handed over her keys and said she was “done” did not resign and was unfairly dismissed. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Natalie Cope worked as a factory supervisor for Razzle Dazzle Costumes (RDC). She had a good working relationship with the business owners Lorna Parker – now deceased – and her husband…
Corporate Insolvencies continue to soar amid financial turmoil
February 14th 2023Corporate insolvencies soared last year as businesses struggled to cope with increasing financial turmoil, most of it outside of their control. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager provides an update. Figures from the Insolvency Service show there were a total of 1,964 corporate insolvencies in December. That was 31.9% higher than December 2021 and 75.5% higher than the same month in 2019, before the Covid pandemic. The figures reflect the pressures companies…
The UK Economy: Light at the end of the economic tunnel
February 7th 2023There is light at the end of the long economic tunnel for Cumbrian businesses, says Sam Lyon, who leads the Corporate and Commercial team at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors. Sam says businesses can still remain confident about the future despite the impact of coronavirus, Brexit and wider supply disruptions continuing to take their toll. His comments come following an economic outlook webinar, sponsored by the UK200Group, of which Cartmell Shepherd is…
Landlord’s notice to quit ruled invalid over identity issue
February 3rd 2023A landlord’s notice to quit has been ruled invalid because, although it was delivered to the correct address, it incorrectly identified an individual as the tenant instead of his company. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution reports on this recent case. The case involved Thomas and Turner. Mr Thomas had been granted a tenancy of an agricultural holding. He then assigned it to his company, OG Thomas Amaethyddiaeth CYF, without informing…
Contract terms didn’t prevent damages claim over mouldy meat
January 20th 2023A food storage company could not use a trade body’s general terms as a way of avoiding a compensation claim from a customer as they had not been incorporated into their contract. Selina Gonzalez Solicitor in our dispute resolution team reports on this recent case. The case involved Scotbeef Ltd and D&S Storage Ltd (In Liquidation). In 2017, Scotbeef arranged for some of its meat to be stored by D&S. There was no…
Landlord can’t recover cost of serving ground rent notice
January 17th 2023The Court of Appeal has ruled that a landlord’s costs of preparing and serving a notice requiring payment of ground rent could not be recovered from the tenant as part of an administration charge. Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our dispute team provides an update. The case involved Avon Ground Rents Ltd and Philipp Stampfer Avon held the freehold to two blocks of flats. The tenant, Mr Stampfer, held a long lease of…
