Judge Orders Businessman to Pay Former Employee Damages for Coughing Incident during Pandemic
A judge in Wales has ruled that businessman Kevin Davies must pay his former employee over £26,000 for deliberately coughing at her during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. The incident, which occurred in 2020, was deemed “inexcusable” by the employment tribunal judge in Wrexham.
The former employee, who remains anonymous, had worked for a property company owned by Mr. Davies in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales, since December 2017. She suffered from an autoimmune condition that made her particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 and had requested social distancing measures be followed by her colleagues, which were ignored.
On March 17, 2020, just before the UK went into lockdown, Mr. Davies deliberately coughed towards the woman and made dismissive comments about her concerns. The judge described his actions as an attempt to ridicule and intimidate, dismissing Mr. Davies’ denial of the incident.
The woman, diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, a chronic condition affecting her joints and skin, had already received accommodations at work due to her health condition. However, the added risk of Covid-19 made her workplace environment untenable after the coughing incident.
Following the incident, the woman filed a complaint with human resources and later with the police. By June 2020, she felt compelled to resign from her position due to the hostile work environment created by Mr. Davies.
In a statement to a Welsh newspaper, the woman expressed being “shaken” by the incident. Mr. Davies, father of Welsh rugby player Gareth Davies, has not yet commented on the ruling.
