Case 6017676/2024 · Employment Tribunal
Mr D Ahern v Brand Finance plc — 2025
- Case reference
- 6017676/2024
- Decision date
- 7 August 2025
- Jurisdiction
- England & Wales
- Judge
- Employment Judge Moyler REPRESENTATION
Parties
2 namedClaimant
Mr D Ahern
Respondent
Key findings
Tribunal's reasoningThe Claimant brought complaints about non-payment of a bonus for the 2022 to 2023 financial year and unpaid freelance fees relating to work for the Respondent's South African subsidiary after his employment ended. The bonus complaint was advanced as an unauthorised deduction from wages claim and, in the alternative, as a breach of contract claim.
The Tribunal determined jurisdiction as a preliminary issue. It held that it did not have jurisdiction to consider the bonus complaint either as an unauthorised deduction from wages or as a breach of contract claim, and dismissed that complaint. It also held that the unpaid freelance fees complaint was presented out of time, that it had been reasonably practicable to present it in time, and dismissed the complaints in full.
The Tribunal added that, although not fully argued, the claims would have failed had a full hearing taken place because the bonus entitlement was discretionary, no bonus had been awarded to the Claimant, the Claimant had not invoiced for the additional freelance days, and there were unresolved issues about the correct respondent and worker status.
Claims and outcomes
3 findings recorded| Claim type | Issue or finding | Outcome | Protected characteristic | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlawful deduction from wages | Bonus claim: the Tribunal held it did not have jurisdiction to consider whether non-payment of a bonus on 26 June 2024 was an unauthorised deduction from wages. | Dismissed | — | — |
| Breach of contract | Alternative bonus claim: the Tribunal held it did not have jurisdiction under the Employment Tribunal Extension of Jurisdiction (England & Wales) Order 1994 to consider whether non-payment of the bonus was a breach of contract. | Dismissed | — | — |
| Unlawful deduction from wages | Unpaid freelance fees claim: the Tribunal held the complaint was presented outside the applicable time limit and that it was reasonably practicable to present it in time. The supplied PDF text is truncated in the middle. | Dismissed | — | — |
Legal tests applied
3 references- s.13 Employment Rights Act 1996
- Employment Tribunal Extension of Jurisdiction (England & Wales) Order 1994
- reasonably practicable
Official outcome judgment PDF
Gov.uk primary recordThe official judgment PDF on gov.uk contains the tribunal's outcome, reasoning, and any remedy details. Where this page does not yet show extracted outcomes for every claim, use the PDF as the authoritative source.
Published on gov.uk under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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