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

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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 aid.

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.

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Where an employee who has made a protected disclosure is dismissed, can the dismissal be unfair if the decision-maker is merely aware that the employee has made a disclosure, or is some understanding of the details of the disclosure required? That question was answered in an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruling. A man had raised various concerns relating to the management style of his employer’s CEO. A meeting took place in which he claimed that issues raised in another employee’s exit…