Nightclub Dancer Compensated Following Vicious Assault by Customer

Public-facing businesses are under a clear legal duty to protect their personnel from the risk of assault by customers. In a case on point, a nightclub dancer who was viciously attacked by a client was awarded substantial compensation after a culpable delay in security staff coming to her…

Feb 21, 2022

She remonstrated with the client after he broke the club’s strict ‘no touching’ rule by slapping her on the buttock. He first tried to punch her before smashing a glass over her head, resulting in 2.5-centimetre wound to her forehead that required stitches. Security staff intervened but the police were not called and the client left the club without being identified.

After she launched proceedings against the club, the court found that she bore no responsibility for what happened. The client was 100 per cent to blame for the assault. Had security staff been constantly scanning the club for trouble, as they should have been, they would have witnessed the start of the altercation and intervened within a few seconds. Had that occurred, the assault would probably have been prevented. The dancer was awarded £12,000 in damages.

Making Managerial Changes? Transparency is Always the Best Policy

When changes are being made to a company’s management structure, transparent consultation with those affected is always the best policy. An Employment Tribunal (ET) made that point in the case of a senior executive whose role was steadily reduced to the point where he felt that resignation was his only option. The man was employed as the operations director of a multinational business’s UK division. He was also one of the company’s statutory directors. The company was undergoing globalisation…

Inadequate Workplace Toilet Triggers Direct Sex Discrimination Finding

As those who follow the news will know, public and workplace toilet facilities are the focus of a national debate concerning gender. In an employment case on point, a female office clerk who had to share a toilet with male colleagues succeeded in a direct sex discrimination claim. The woman worked for a local authority in a building fitted with both male and female toilets. She used the female toilet when she could, but accessing it was problematic in that it was in part of the building used by…

Should the National Minimum Wage Be Paid During Induction Training?

Many employers require prospective employees to undergo induction training before they are taken onto the payroll – but, during such training, are prospects entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage (NMW)? The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) addressed that issue in an instructive decision. The case concerned a care professional who was offered a job by a company that provided home-based services for adults. She was required to carry out a week of induction training before she was given a…