John Murphy, a former plant fitter from Suffolk, has won his claim against Mervyn Lambert Plant Hire Limited for Unfair Dismissal and Disability Discrimination. The Employment Tribunal in Norwich returned a unanimous verdict that Mr. Murphy, a dedicated fitter for over 13 years, had been unfairly dismissed by his former employers and discriminated against by virtue of his dyslexia. Following the hearing, which lasted a total of seven days, Mr. Murphy was awarded over £57,000 in compensation.

The Employment Tribunal in Norwich were satisfied that the alleged reasons for Mr. Murphy’s dismissal did not stand up and that, in fact, the real reason for the dismissal was said by chairman Mr Christopher Ash to be  “malice on the part of the Mervyn Lambert” and was “blatantly unfair”. He cited the case as an example of when an employer decides that it does not wish to have an employee working for it any longer and where the employee “stood no chance at all”. The Tribunal criticised not only the behaviour of Mervyn Lambert Plant Hire Limited in dismissing Mr. Murphy, but were also highly critical of the way in which the company had conducted itself throughout the proceedings. By contrast, the Tribunal found Mr. Murphy, who had a previously unblemished employment record, to be “a transparently honest and accurate man”.

Mr. Murphy said that he was overjoyed with the victory. “It has been a very long and difficult time and I am relieved that it is finally over. I would like to thank the Employment team at Leathes Prior for the hard work and time they have put in to my case. Without their support and belief in me, I would not have been able to come this far.”

Paula Lawn, an Employment Solicitor at Leathes Prior said, “This is an excellent outcome. It was a complex and hard fought case, and the Tribunal’s decision was a complete vindication for our client. ”