Case studies: Redmans represents client in winning Employment Tribunal unfair dismissal claim

Summary

How Chris Hadrill successfully represented a Claimant in her claim for unfair dismissal in the Employment Tribunal on a ‘no win no fee’ basis and secured compensation.

Under s.94 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 employees have the right not to be unfairly dismissed from their employment. Chris’ client was dismissed from her employment in August 2014 on allegations that a large sum of money had been stolen from a safe because she had failed to follow company policies. She instructed Chris to pursue a claim for unfair dismissal and was successful, as her former employer had failed to follow the necessary policies and procedures in dismissing her.

Situation

 

Natasha (not her real name) worked as a deputy manager at a restaurant in central London. The alarm was faulty at the restaurant and she was unable to set it properly. She locked up the restaurant one night and left without setting the alarm, as it would not work. On that night a former colleague broke into the restaurant using a key they had previously been given and stole over £3,000 from the safe. Natasha was subsequently investigated, disciplined and dismissed on allegations of gross misconduct. She appealed but was unsuccessful

What we did

Chris Hadrill, a specialist employment solicitor at Redmans, represented Natasha on a ‘no win no fee’ basis in his Employment Tribunal claim. Chris dealt with the procedure of the claim and represented Michael at the full Employment Tribunal hearing.

The result

With Chris handling his case, Michael won his claim and was found by the Employment Tribunal to have been unfairly dismissed – the Employment Judge found that the employer had failed to give her specific reasons as to why she was disciplined and dismissed; failed to obtain relevant witness statements from staff members; and failed to provide her with relevant evidence at the disciplinary and appeal stages, among other things. The Employment Tribunal awarded Natasha compensation for her claim.

Chris Hadrill, the employment solicitor who handled Natasha’s case, said: “If you think that you’ve been unfairly dismissed then you should take legal advice on whether your dismissal was unfair – if you’ve been unfairly dismissed then you could clear your name and win compensation in the Employment Tribunal. Redmans can – if your case is strong enough – represent you on a no win no fee basis, which means that you won’t have to worry about paying potentially sky-high legal costs.”