UK woman with prosthetic arm wins Abercrombie suit

[Merryweather]

Source: CBC

A British law student with a prosthetic arm has won her suit for wrongful dismissal against her former employer, U.S. clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, after she was ordered to work in the stockroom.

Riam Dean says she was removed from the sales floor of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in London because the cardigan she wore to cover the prosthetic limb in place of her missing left forearm violated the teen-apparel merchant's strict employee dress code. The 22-year-old testified that her manager taunted her about her disability. Ohio-based Abercrombie denied this.

A London employment tribunal ordered Abercrombie to pay Dean about 9,000 pounds ($15,000 US) in compensation for injured feelings, lost earnings and wrongful dismissal.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/08/13/abercrombie-disabilitysuit.html

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I posted about this case on here a couple of months ago:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Merryweather/8

I was disgusted by it then, and I'm glad this girl won her case. Unfortunately, it's not likely to change the company's awful policy of discrimination; $15k is a drop in the ocean for them - they probably spent at least ten times that on lawyers.

[rfranklin]

1. Wekll, isn't A&F all about one upmanship with clothing.?

Sort of the clothing supplier to the high school in crowd who taunt anyone else who can't spend $75 for a shirt that's worth about $10.

[chollybocker]

2. '...violated the ... strict employee dress code.'

WTF?

Personally, if I were in a clothing store and the sales person had a prosthetic arm, I would be MORE inclined to spend some money there. I like to reward progressive companies with my business. But that's just me.

[customerserviceguy]

3. Good for her, but...

is it really possible to be awarded cash damages for "injured feelings"???!!!

[Lars39]

4. Lost earnings and wrongful dismissal, too.

[customerserviceguy]

5. OK, those two things seemed normal...

Hey, I guess that's the difference between the UK and the US, our Founding Fathers really didn't give a rip about hurt feelings when they went for that First Amendment.

[quakerboy]

6. Emotional distress

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negligent_infliction_of_emotional_distress

[formercia]

7. This deserves a K&R. n/t

[Heidi]

8. Recommended. (nt)

[Odin2005]

9. K&R. The Americans with Disabilities act is a LAW, not a "worthless piece of paper"..

[Cal Carpenter]

10. In London it is a worthless piece of paper

This didn't happen in the US

[LeftishBrit]

11. The Disability Discrimination Act (Britain) in this case; but yes, it's the law!

k&r for justice once in a while.

[Odin2005]

14. Oops, I must have missed that part.

I forgot that this kind of BS happens across the pond. too!

[KamaAina]

16. The DDA may not go as far as our ADA in theory,

but apparently it can actually be enforced in court. :thumbsup:

[WriteDown]

12. C'mon, everyone knows prosthetics are soooo 1999...

I can see why a hip company like A&F did this.

[superconnected]

13. Proud to give the 5th rec for this.

[Vidar]

15. K&R

[Crabby Appleton]

17. She should have gotten more. k&r

[hedgehog]

18. Best Response to Abercrombie & Fitch's aesthetic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdeBp8J0rqs&feature=fvst