Richards -V- Corptel Pty Limited [1997] NSWEOT

Equal Opportunity Tribunal of New South Wales

CITATION: Richards -V- Corptel Pty Limited [1997] NSWEOT

COMPLAINANT: Ms Jaime Richards

RESPONDENT: Corptel Pty Limited

NUMBER: 64 of 1997

Mr D Bitel ( Judicial Member ) TRIBUNAL: Mrs R Cox Mr L Lau

GROUNDS OF COMPLAINT: Sex (Sexual Harassment) and Victimisation

DATES OF HEARING: 10/09/1997 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 10/09/1997

Complainant: Mr T Goldburg Turner Freeman Solicitors Ms S Winters (Counsel) LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES: Respondent: Mr D Sisinni Yandells Lawyers

JUDGMENT IN FAVOUR OF:

CHAIRPERSON: The Tribunal has considered the issues which have been raised in this complaint and proposes to hand down our decision now and to give reasons now as well.

Firstly, the decision. The Tribunal finds for the Complainant and finds substantiated the complaints that she was treated less favourably and subjected to detriment during the course of her employment, and that she was subjected to sexual harassment. The Tribunal also finds that she was subjected to victimisation.

In terms of the award, the Tribunal makes an order that the Respondent pay to the Complainant, within 28 days, an amount of $2,538.42 for lost wages, which was an amount which was agreed between the parties, and an amount of $5,000 by way of general damages. The Tribunal also makes an order for costs against the Respondent.

The reasons the Tribunal makes those orders are as follows: -

The Complainant was born on 26 June 1978, and commenced employment with the Respondent some time in the middle of 1995. She seems to have been a satisfactory employee, and evidence was given to the Tribunal from Mr O'Hare, the Managing Director of the Respondent, that she was a satisfactory employee, and that up until the events the subject of the complaint, they had no cause for concern with her conduct.