Businessman Ordered to Pay Former Employee for Covid-19 Incident

Judge Orders Businessman to Pay Former Employee for Covid-19 Related Incident

A recent case in Wales saw a judge ruling against a businessman, Kevin Davies, who was ordered to pay his former employee a significant amount in damages for an incident that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. The employment tribunal judge in Wrexham determined that Davies must compensate his ex-employee with £26,438, approximately $35,000, due to his unacceptable behavior.

The incident took place in 2020 at a property company owned by Mr. Davies in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. The former employee, who remains unnamed, had been working at the company since December 2017 and had an autoimmune condition that made her particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. Despite her condition, her requests for social distancing measures were reportedly ignored by colleagues.

On March 17, 2020, just before the UK entered lockdown, Kevin Davies deliberately coughed at the woman and belittled her for requesting social distancing, according to court records. The judge described his actions as an attempt to ridicule and intimidate the employee, noting that other witnesses corroborated the incident.

The woman had been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, a chronic condition affecting her joints and skin, which was documented before the pandemic. The added risk of Covid-19 made her workplace environment even more challenging. Following the incident, she raised complaints internally and then with the police, eventually resigning in June 2020 due to the hostile work environment.

In a statement to a Welsh newspaper, the former employee expressed feeling shaken by the incident. Kevin Davies, who is the father of Welsh rugby player Gareth Davies, has not responded to requests for comment regarding the ruling.