Mr C Elliott, friend of Claimant For the v Mr C Wood, solicitor — 2026

The claimant was dismissed for gross misconduct after an incident in which the respondent concluded that he had physically assaulted another employee. The disciplinary decision-maker relied on CCTV footage and witness statements, and rejected the claimant's account that he had merely restrained the other employee or acted in self-defence.

The tribunal found that conduct was a potentially fair reason for dismissal, that the respondent had a genuine belief in the claimant's guilt, and that the belief was based on reasonable grounds following a reasonable investigation. It found that the respondent was not required to investigate in detail what the other employee may have said beforehand because that did not justify the physical assault found by the respondent.

The tribunal accepted that there were mitigating factors, including the claimant's long association with the respondent and the context of the incident, but held that dismissal was within the range of reasonable responses open to the respondent. The unfair dismissal claim was dismissed.