Long-running Coleman v Attridge Law case comes to an end

The long-running case between Sharon Coleman and Attridge Law, involving the issue of whether disability discrimination legislation extends to protecting those associated with a disabled person has now been settled, according to a press release from Cloisters.

Readers of this newsletter will be familiar with Sharon Coleman’s case. She claimed she had been discriminated against, not because she is disabled, but because her son is disabled.  When the preliminary jurisdiction issue was considered by the European Court of Justice, it ruled that EU law required that protection should be given to people associating with protected groups such as the disabled. The EAT then amended the Disability Discrimination Act so that the definition of direct discrimination included less favourable treatment of a person by reason of the disability of another person and the definition of harassment included unwanted conduct which relates to the disability of another person

Cloisters has reported that although the merits of the case were finally due to be heard in March, some 5 years after Sharon Coleman left the law firm, the parties finally reached terms of settlement. As part of that settlement, Attridge Law (now EBR Attridge) agreed to abandon any further attempts at appeal. Sharon Coleman will also receive an as yet undisclosed sum of money for ‘injury to feelings’.