Judge Orders Boss Who Coughed at Employee During Pandemic to Pay Damages

Intentionally cough at employee with autoimmune condition, win stupid prizes in a fine of £‎26,438. Guy denied and showed no remorse.

The court heard that she suffered from an autoimmune condition that made her particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. She had repeatedly asked colleagues to practice social distancing once the government announced safety measures in early 2020 to stop the spread of the virus — but her requests were dismissed, court records showed.

On March 17 of that year — days before Britain went into lockdown — Mr. Davies coughed “deliberately and loudly” in the woman’s direction then loudly commented that she was being ridiculous for requesting social distancing, the court records showed.

Judge Ryan dismissed Mr. Davies’ denial of the incident — noting that other employees had heard and testified to it — and added that his conduct was “inexcusable and cannot be discounted as a joke or something light-hearted.”

After the coughing incident, the woman complained to human resources. When that complaint went nowhere, according to court records, she went to the police. By June of that year, she had resigned over what she described as an “untenable” workplace environment.

Mr. Davies, the father of celebrated Welsh rugby player Gareth Davies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A looser fit than other here but still a great headline. Reflects the state of corporatism IMO.