Amanda Lawson v London Ambulance Service NHS Trust — 2022

The hearing concerned the respondent's application to strike out the claim. The claimant had brought complaints described in the judgment as direct sex discrimination, direct disability discrimination, indirect sex discrimination and victimisation. The tribunal considered the particulars of claim and two further sets of information, noting that the claimant had already had several opportunities to explain her case with focused questions from an employment judge.

The tribunal refused to strike out the direct sex discrimination complaint about failure to progress the claimant to a degree course. It found that it was at least arguable on the pleaded case that the alleged conduct was ongoing, and said that even if the complaint were out of time it would have extended time on a just and equitable basis. The tribunal also found that the complaint was a discrete claim with a named comparator and would turn on the evidence.

The tribunal struck out the direct disability discrimination complaint, finding it very difficult to see how disability could be the reason for the treatment complained of where other disabled people had received the opportunities the claimant said she had been denied. It also struck out the victimisation complaint because there was no protected act, and the indirect sex discrimination complaint because no provision, criterion or practice creating group disadvantage had been identified.