Today’s case looks at a very complex and difficult issue of ‘Associative Disability Discrimination’ and makes comparisons to other relevant case law throughout Europe.


Henry Denny and Sons (Ireland) Ltd and Rohan (ADE/12/45 Determination No.EDA 1310, 3rd April 2013)

Introduction:

In the UK case of Coleman v Attridge Law (C-303/06), the (then) European Court of Justice held that the Equal Treatment directive provides for protection against ‘associative disability discrimination’. Ms Coleman, who worked as a legal secretary, had given birth to a child with a disability and argued that, as the primary carer of her child, she had been treated less favourably at work than colleagues who did not have disabled children.

In Ireland, section 6 of the Employment Equality