Claimant v Respondent — 2025

The claimant was employed as a facilities manager by the respondent, an academy chain, and was disabled by reason of epilepsy at the relevant times. She brought claims for unfair dismissal under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and for unfavourable treatment because of something arising in consequence of disability under section 15 of the Equality Act 2010, relying on dismissal and the failure to uphold her appeal.

The tribunal found that the respondent was entitled to regard the claimant's conduct involving a knife left stabbed into a whiteboard as gross misconduct. It found that the investigation was reasonable overall, that mitigation and alternatives to dismissal were considered, and that the decision to dismiss was within the band of reasonable responses.

The tribunal concluded that the dismissal was not discriminatory and that the unfair dismissal complaint was not well founded. Both the unfair dismissal complaint and the disability discrimination complaint were dismissed.