Employers can be found vicariously liable for the actions of their staff when these occur in the course of their employment, which can include during an office function, but what is the position when one employee suffers injury at the hands of another at an impromptu get-together some hours after a planned works event has finished? The High Court had found that a recruitment company was not liable for serious injuries inflicted by one member of staff on another in such circumstances, but that decision has now been overturned by the Court of Appeal (Bellman v Northampton Recruitment Limited). Continue reading →

In a workplace context, an employer can be found liable for the acts or omissions of its employees, provided it can be shown that they took place in the course of their employment – i.e. where there is sufficient connection between the employee’s position and the wrongful conduct to make it right for the employer to be held responsible. Continue reading →

Even apparently innocuous business models can have an unforeseen discriminatory impact. A medical practice faced just such an allegation due to its belief that only full-time doctors could provide the best possible medical care to patients (Ali v Bedford Hill Family Practice). Continue reading →