Equality Law

A former nursing student with a cancer diagnosis has settled a disability discrimination case against Queen’s University Belfast for £25,000. Natasha Bradshaw, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, was supported in bringing the case by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

The High Court has determined that the Circuit Court hearing of a hotel discrimination appeal brought by members of the Traveller community was unfair in circumstances where the presiding judge was overly-interventionist and conducted a large part of the examination of the witnesses. Delivering judg

An employment appeal tribunal in London has rejected a claim from a man who said he had been discriminated against because of his "English nationalist" beliefs, which include seeking the deportation of all Muslims from the UK. The claimant, Steven Thomas, had been engaged through an employment agenc

Holiday park operator Pontins has apologised for discriminating against Irish Travellers as it begins to implement an action plan developed with Britain's equality watchdog. In February, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published an investigation into Pontins and served the company wi

A man who alleged that he was told "we don't serve Protestants" by the landlord of Bittles Bar in Belfast has settled a religious discrimination case for £6,500. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland supported the man, who has not been named, in bringing the case against John Bittles.

The High Court has determined that a woman who was handed an envelope containing a P45 without any explanation whilst on sick leave during her pregnancy was the subject of discrimination and did not have to make further enquiries as to whether this constituted a dismissal. Delivering judgment for th

Irish lawyer Tara O'Leary has been appointed to the panel of counsel for Great Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Ms O'Leary, originally from Co Kerry, qualified as a barrister in England and Wales in 2014. She holds an LLB in law and European studies from the University of Limer

Members of the public have been urged to contribute to an inquiry into gaps in equality legislation in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly's committee for the Executive Office is undertaking an inquiry into differences in equality legislation between Northern Ireland, other parts of the

A disability discrimination claim brought by a person with a serious visual impairment against a healthcare service which insisted on communicating appointment dates through letters has been settled. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission provided legal assistance to the person in respect of

Six Irish Travellers have settled a race discrimination case against a Co Tyrone inn for £24,000 with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The group of family and friends visited the Ryandale Inn in May 2023 where they planned to have a meal. When they attempted to order

A deaf woman who was effectively refused access to a public service with the assistance of an Irish Sign Language interpreter has settled a disability discrimination claim with the assistance of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The woman attempted to access the service over the teleph

Holiday park operator Pontins has been ordered by Britain's equality watchdog to stop unlawfully discriminating against Irish Travellers, including by rejecting guests with Irish names and accents. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has served the company with an unlawful act notice aft

Kane Tuohy managing partner Cómhnall Tuohy and trainee solicitor Jim Gibbons consider a recent case on retirement and discrimination. In Thomas Doolin v Eir Business Eircom Limited ADJ-00045261 the complainant, Mr Doolin, brought a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) un

A blind man who made a complaint of disability discrimination against his bank has secured a settlement with legal assistance from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The man experienced ongoing difficulties in using the online banking services of a high-street bank. His first difficulty

A restaurant in Belfast has been ordered to pay £20,000 to an Irish Traveller family who were unlawfully discriminated against by being asked to leave. The Joyce family brought the Cuisine Buffet restaurant on York Street to court with support from the Equality Commission.