Record-breaking claimant's bullying payout could rise to £19m

A City lawyer who won a record £13.4m claim for sex discrimination could now be in line for a £19m payout, it was revealed yesterday.

Gill Switalski, claims she was subjected to an 18-month campaign of bullying, leaving her with a mental illness and forcing her to quit her £140,000-a-year job as head of the legal team at F&C Asset Management.

In March, a tribunal ruled she was the victim of sex discrimination and harassment by senior management at F&C. It said she was treated less favourably than a male colleague with a special-needs child. Switalski has one young son with cerebral palsy, and another who suffers from Asperger's syndrome.

She had claimed £13.4m for the psychiatric damage, loss of earnings, pension rights and career prospects. However, F&C is appealing against the Central London tribunal's decision, and lawyers now believe that the claim is worth close to £19m.

The hearing continues.