Ms V Solloway v HSBC Group Management Services Limited and 2 others — 2025

The preliminary hearing concerned R1's applications to strike out all or part of the claimant's pregnancy and maternity discrimination claim on time-limit grounds, or alternatively for deposit orders. The tribunal refused both applications, taking the claimant's evidence at its highest and not deciding the time-limit issue as a substantive preliminary issue.

The tribunal also considered the claimant's application to amend her claim to add two further allegations relating to the Emerging Talent Lead, MENAT role. Permission to add Allegation (i), concerning an alleged negative reference by Mr Crussel, was refused because of the substantial nature of the amendment, the length of the delay and forensic prejudice to R1. Permission to add Allegation (j), concerning non-engagement in that role, was granted because the facts had been raised in the ET1, R1 had investigated and pleaded to the issue, and the litigation remained at a relatively early stage.