Home / Crime and Justice / Morning Sickness Ignites £70K Discrimination Payout
Morning Sickness Ignites £70K Discrimination Payout
3 Mar
Summary
- Video editor unfairly dismissed for working remotely due to severe morning sickness.
- Boss made comments about maternity pay and fabricated poor performance allegations.
- Tribunal awarded £73,500 for unfair dismissal and pregnancy discrimination.
A video editor, Kaila Farmer, has successfully sued her former employer, Fresh Cut Video, for £73,500 following a pregnancy discrimination and unfair dismissal case. Farmer was sacked after announcing her pregnancy and presenting a doctor's note advising her to work from home due to severe nausea and vomiting.
Her employer, Harry Pill, had reportedly made negative comments about maternity pay and secretly planned her dismissal. Despite initial positive feedback, Farmer faced a performance review just seven working days after informing Pill of her pregnancy. Pill later fabricated allegations of data theft and poor performance to justify her termination.
The Reading Employment Tribunal ruled that Pill's concerns about the role being office-based were significantly influenced by Farmer's pregnancy and related sick leave. The tribunal concluded that the decision to dismiss was predetermined, with pregnancy being the principal reason for termination.
Farmer endured nearly two years of stress related to the tribunal process but has since given birth to her daughter. She plans to support the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, which assisted her during the challenging period.
