header-logo header-logo

22 September 2020
Issue: 7903 / Categories: Legal News , Employment
printer mail-detail

Employer awarded huge costs for ‘vexatious’ claim

A hotel group has secured a costs award of £432,000 at an employment tribunal, which lawyers believe to be one of the largest in the tribunal’s history

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels successfully defended a claim brought by its former senior vice president for procurement Chee Hwee Tan for unfair dismissal, discrimination, victimisation, harassment, whistleblowing and unfair deduction from wages. The tribunal held the claim was pursued unreasonably and found no evidence of discrimination or harassment.

The claimant submitted more than 3,000 pages of documents before the tribunal, including covert recordings of staff.

David Israel, partner at Royds Withy King, which acted for Millennium & Copthorne, said: ‘This was quite clearly a vexatious claim with no grounding in reality.

‘Mr Tan was given plenty of opportunity to withdraw his claim yet chose to proceed and attempt to manipulate the system in the full knowledge that he would lose.’

Employment tribunals rarely award costs, even if someone is unsuccessful, and when they do the average award made would only be £2,400.

Issue: 7903 / Categories: Legal News , Employment
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
back-to-top-scroll