Mr M Sala v MDS Hygiene Support Limited — 2025

The claimant brought an Equality Act 2010 claim alleging direct discrimination because of disability, with the protected characteristic said to be disability arising from a cardiac arrest or heart attack. The respondent did not concede disability, so the Tribunal dealt first with whether the claimant met the statutory definition of disability.

The Tribunal found that the claimant had not shown that the effects of the heart attack had a long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. It noted the claimant's evidence that the most severe symptoms subsided around October 2023, medical evidence describing a very good cardiovascular recovery, and no medical evidence confirming ongoing issues beyond October 2023.

The Tribunal also found that the claimant had not established a substantial adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities and had not shown a causal link between the heart attack and the difficulties he listed. It concluded that he was not disabled for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, so he could not pursue the direct discrimination claim and the claim was dismissed.