DLA Piper denies 'perceived' disability discrimination claim by lawyer
February 4, 2010
Law firm DLA Piper has denied discriminating against a successful job applicant on the grounds of her ‘perceived’ disability.
The claimant, known only as ‘J’, told the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) the firm had offered her a job as a professional support lawyer in June 2008. But when J disclosed she had a history of depression in a telephone health questionnaire, the firm allegedly withdrew the job offer immediately and instigated a recruitment freeze, it has been claimed.
Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, J's original tribunal claim was struck out in March last year after the court ruled she was not disabled. This is now being appealed in the EAT, where it is being heard by the EAT president because of the complexity of the issues at stake, which relate to the ‘perception’ of a disability, the Law Gazette has reported.
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