Pregnant worker unfairly dismissed after director’s ‘panic about HR issues’
June 10th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR An office worker was subjected to a ‘hostile, humiliating and offensive environment’ after she informed her employers that she was pregnant shortly after joining the company. Eilise Walker started working for Arco Environmental in November 2017, taking over the role of office manager. After three weeks, Walker informed her bosses that she was pregnant. Walker claimed that the company’s financial director and…
Woman with diabetes was ‘humiliated’ by her employers
June 7th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR A woman who suffers from diabetes has been awarded £14,000 after being humiliated at work. Holly Carr, who had type 1 diabetes, worked as a fleet administrator at Weston Homes for two months. She told her line manager, Lauren Goodwin, and events co-ordinator Gaynor Impiazza, about her condition at a staff lunch to welcome her. She said she wouldn’t be drinking alcohol…
Government issues new guide on how to sell your home
June 6th 2019By Sam Bulman Conveyancer The government has issued a new set of guidelines to help people preparing to sell their home. The document, How to Sell, was produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and covers everything from ensuring your home has ‘kerb appeal’ to making sure you get good legal advice from a qualified solicitor. People who haven’t sold a property for many years may notice…
Landlords insist a specialist housing court is needed
June 3rd 2019By Mark Aspin Director Landlord groups have called on the government to establish a dedicated specialist housing court to speed up the process of legitimate evictions. The move comes after the Ministry of Justice published figures showing that it is now taking longer for private landlords to evict problem tenants. The average time between a landlord making a claim to the courts to repossess a property, and it actually happening,…
Latest figures show slight reduction in gender pay gap
May 28th 2019By Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR The latest figures on the gender pay gap in large businesses show a slight reduction on last year. Legislation introduced in 2017 means that every employer with 250 or more employees has to publish the differences between what they pay their male and female staff in average salaries and bonuses. This is the second year that employers have been required to report…
Dementia Action Week 2019
May 24th 2019This week is Dementia Action Week and it was amazing for #TeamCartmells to get involved in our local communities and show support. It is important for us, as businesses, to make ourselves more accessible to those living with dementia and to help shape a wider community that strives to be more inclusive to those with disabilities. Cartmells are active members of the Local Dementia Action Alliance and work within our…
Judge orders homeowner to pay builder in full for repair work
May 20th 2019By Laura Bright Solicitor The High Court has ordered a homeowner to pay the full cost of repair work carried out on his property by a building company. The court heard that the homeowner, Sylvein Pinto, had asked ICCT Ltd to stop leaks in his basement. The work was not paid for so ICCT took the matter to arbitration and Mr Pinto provided the adjudicator with pictures of the leaking…
Director ordered to pay £20,000 after breaching his duties
May 13th 2019By Mark Aspin Director A director has been ordered to pay £20,000 for breaching his legal duties shortly before his company went into liquidation. The director had run a freight-forwarding company from 2011 until its voluntary liquidation in 2015. He had been the sole shareholder. His father had previously been a co-director of the company and continued to work for it. The company operated from the father’s home. The director…
How the Hague Convention can help if your ex-partner abducts your child
April 29th 2019By Laura Ousby Solicitor Disputes between parents over who their children should live and spend time with are among the most common causes of ongoing tension between couples after they separate. Most families manage to work out reasonable compromises over such issues but unfortunately, amicable agreements are not always possible and in some extreme cases, can lead to one parent abducting their children and taking them to another country. This…
Husband and wife lose £40,000 deposit in failed company purchase
April 24th 2019By Mark Aspin Director & Head of Dispute Resolution A husband and wife who tried to buy a business have lost their £40,000 deposit after the High Court ruled they could not claim a refund when the deal fell through. The couple wanted to buy a waste collection company. They were introduced to the sole shareholder and a tentative agreement was made that they would buy the business for £210,000.…
