Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Financial penaltiesLatest NewsDismissalPregnancy and maternity discriminationEmployment tribunals

Law firm employee dismissed because she was pregnant awarded £23k

by Ashleigh Webber 21 Apr 2020
by Ashleigh Webber 21 Apr 2020 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

A law firm has been ordered to pay more than £23,000 for pregnancy discrimination after it sacked a pregnant employee who had been unwell.

Pregnancy discrimination

One in eight reluctant to hire women who may become pregnant

Most employers say applicants should disclose pregnancy

Ms K Wright was employed as an administrator at Coupland Cavendish, which trades as Gowing Law Solicitors, for one week between 18 to 25 March 2019.

She was pregnant and had been suffering with nausea and vomiting, which led her to take a day off sick on 21 March, followed by another day of sickness absence for the same reason on 25 March 2019. She was dismissed by email later that afternoon. The email claimed it had been unable to rely on her.

Wright brought a claim of automatic unfair dismissal and maternity and pregnancy discrimination against the Manchester-based firm. She also claimed the reasons it had had given for her dismissal had been inadequate and untrue.

Shortly before the case was heard by the Manchester employment tribunal in February 2020, the respondent’s solicitors conceded in a letter to the tribunal that the principle reason for Wright’s dismissal had been reasons connected with her pregnancy and accepted that she had been unfairly dismissed and discriminated against.

The tribunal found that the reasons given for her dismissal had not been inadequate; the tribunal’s view was that the email providing the reason for dismissal was actually lengthier than seen in many circumstances.

The email said that the reason was that the respondent felt it was unable to rely on the claimant, which the tribunal found to a true reason, “albeit in fact an unfair and discriminatory one”.

Judge Phil Allen ordered the law firm to pay Wright £23,060 in compensation, comprised of awards for loss of earnings, injury to feelings, loss of future earnings and interest.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Wright had also sought aggravated damages based on the delay in the organisation admitting liability, but the tribunal decided it would not make an award for this in this case.

HR Director opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more HR director jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Employee Covid-19 tests shrouded in legal uncertainties
next post
Thousands apply for grants on furlough portal’s first day

You may also like

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

M&S unfairly dismissed pregnant bakery worker

29 Apr 2025

Recruiter who returned to empty office after maternity...

23 Apr 2025

Former Citibank employee settles sex discrimination case

28 Mar 2025

Up to 74,000 women forced out of work...

27 Feb 2025

Property consultant with morning sickness awarded £94k after...

18 Feb 2025

Mothercare discriminated against employee on maternity leave

16 Dec 2024

Administrator sacked for maternity leave pregnancy wins £29,000

28 Oct 2024

EHRC opens consultation on updated code of practice

2 Oct 2024

‘Emotional’ pregnant Mitie manager wins £350k in compensation...

11 Sep 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+