Coleman v. Attridge Law
European Union Court of Justice
C-303/06, 2008 E.C.R. I-5603 (2008)
- Written by Kelly Simon, JD
Facts
Sharon Coleman (plaintiff) began working as a legal secretary at Attridge Law (defendant). Coleman later gave birth to her son. Coleman’s son received several severe medical diagnoses and had a disability. Coleman was her son’s primary caregiver. In 2005, Coleman accepted a voluntary redundancy and stopped working for Attridge Law. In August 2005, Coleman brought a claim for wrongful dismissal and disability discrimination against Attridge Law, arguing she was treated less favorably than other parents at the firm because Coleman’s son had a disability and experienced a hostile work environment because of her son’s disability. Coleman contended that Attridge Law’s treatment of her violated Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000, which established a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation (the directive). The South London Employment Tribunal referred questions of whether the directive prohibited disability discrimination based on an individual’s association with a person with a disability to the European Union Court of Justice.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Maduro, J.)
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