Latest news with #PatriciaOwens
Sunday World
01-05-2025
- Business
- Sunday World
Man told to pay €100k to fiancee he sacked after she caught him on Grindr
PAYOUT | The woman has been awarded nearly €100,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission Grindr app. Stock image: Getty The bulk of the sum, €93,362 was awarded by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for the woman's losses from dismissal after she gave evidence that the businessman cut off her pay and had her company car towed after he left the family home in 2023. She had told her partner she didn't want to be involved with a programme of 'treatment for sex and other addiction' he had proposed and that she planned to separate from him, the tribunal heard. Complaints by the woman under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, and the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 were upheld by the tribunal in an anonymised decision published this morning by the WRC. At a hearing in Dublin last winter, the woman told the tribunal she and the businessman were engaged to be married at the time he was establishing the business and that he had fathered her second child. Her evidence was that after the businessman encouraged her to give up her job to 'work for him', she took up a €48,000-a-year position as company secretary, working mainly from home. In the summer of 2023, while away on a family holiday, the woman said, she discovered that her partner 'had downloaded the dating [or] casual sex app, Grindr'. This was 'specifically oriented for [the] LGBTQ+ community', and it was 'clear' to her that her partner was 'engaged in prolific homosexual encounters [or] liaisons', she told the WRC. She also referred to seeing a message from a website called 'Escort Ireland' on the businessman's phone during the holiday. Confronted about the matter, her partner's position was that he 'planned to undergo treatment for sex and other addiction' and wanted the complainant 'to be involved in that programme', the complainant told the tribunal. She told him she didn't want to participate, she said. After that, the businessman 'terminated [her] employment, ended their relationship and moved out', she wrote in her complaint form. Grindr app. Stock image: Getty Today's News in 90 seconds - Thursday, May 1 Adjudicator Patricia Owens wrote that she was satisfied the arrangements for a hearing in late 2024 into the case were 'properly communicated' to the businessman, but noted he neither attended nor gave the WRC 'any response to the complaints'. She upheld the unfair dismissal claim in the absence of any evidence contradicting the complainant's position that she was 'summarily dismissed', awarding €63,362 for loss of earnings and a further €30,000 for losing access to a company car Ms Owens also awarded €3,712, three weeks' salary, as compensation for the non-provision of a contract of employment and €2,000 under the working time legislation. The total sum awarded in the case was €99,074. The decision was anonymised to shield the identities of the woman's children and in light of separate legal proceedings, the adjudicator noted. The complainant's evidence had been that her pay was stopped in the winter of 2023, leaving her with no income and building up 'a lot of debt' while unemployed. Family commitments had meant she could only find part-time work, she added. While she was waiting for social welfare payments to be approved, she had to rely on the support of Women's Aid and St Vincent de Paul to provide for the 'basic needs' of herself and her children, she told the WRC. At one stage she resorted to selling household items to pay her bills, she said. She also described waking up one morning in late 2023 to discover that her company car had been towed away overnight leaving her 'panicking' about getting her children to school. Her mother, a retiree, drew on savings to pay for a replacement, she said. Ms Owens assessed the loss of the use of the company car at €30,000, factoring that into the award for losses.
Extra.ie
01-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Dublin boss sacked his fiancée after she found him on gay dating app
A woman who said she was sacked from her fiancé's business after she confronted him over his 'prolific casual homosexual encounters' has been awarded just under €100,000 in compensation. The woman, who was not named to protect the couple's child, had made three complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission. Adjudicator Patricia Owens said the woman had told the WRC that she worked in the recycling services business as company secretary, from December 2021 until September 2023. WRC Buildings, Dublin. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/ She stated that when her fiancé set up the business, he had actively encouraged her to leave her previous job and work for him. Ms Owens noted: 'She further submitted that in August 2023, whilst on holiday together, the complainant discovered that her partner had downloaded the dating/casual sex app, Grindr, which is specifically orientated for the LGBTQ+ community. 'She submitted that it was clear to her that her partner was engaged in prolific casual homosexual encounters/liaisons.' Ms Owens said the woman had found it 'very stressful' to see the messages on her fiancé's phone while they were on holiday, and told him she wanted to separate when they got back to Dublin. She told the WRC that her partner had said he planned to undergo treatment for sex and other addictions, and that he wanted her to be involved. Pic: Getty Images 'She advised that she did not want to participate in the programme,' Ms Owens said. The woman said the man then asked her, by letter, to resign her position as company secretary and to return the company car. 'The complainant advised that she did not respond to that letter but that when she got up one morning, she realised that the car had been removed overnight from in front of her home,' Ms Owens said. 'She stated that some of her personal belongings were in the car. She was in a panic about having to get the children to school, and she advised that her mother, who is a pensioner, used some of her savings to purchase a car for the complainant.' The woman said her salary was due to be paid in mid-November, but nothing went into her account. 'She stated that she had to contact social welfare and had to rely on support from Women's Aid and the St Vincent de Paul to provide for her and her children's basic needs,' Ms Owens said. Ms Owens said the businessman had not attended the hearing of the case or made any attempt to explain his absence. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, she said she would uphold the woman's claim that she had been unfairly dismissed. Ms Owens said the women's loss of earnings equated to €63,000, and that the loss of the company car was worth €30,000. With additional sums of compensation for the lack of contract and rest breaks, the total amount she was awarded came to €99,000
RTÉ News
30-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Alleged sex addict businessman sacked partner after she caught him using Grindr on family holiday
The partner of an allegedly sex-addicted businessman who sacked her as his company secretary after she confronted him about using a gay dating app and an escort website while on a family holiday has been awarded nearly €100,000 by an employment tribunal. The bulk of the sum, €93,362 was awarded by the Workplace Relations Commission for the woman's losses from dismissal after she gave evidence that the businessman cut off her pay and had her company car towed after he left the family home in 2023. She had told her partner she did not want to be involved with a programme of "treatment for sex and other addiction" he had proposed and that she planned to separate from him, the tribunal heard. Complaints by the woman under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, and the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 were upheld by the tribunal in an anonymised decision published this morning by the WRC. At a hearing in Dublin last winter, the woman told the tribunal she and the businessman were engaged to be married at the time he was establishing the business and that he had fathered her second child. Her evidence was that after the businessman encouraged her to give up her job to "work for him", she took up a €48,000-a-year position as company secretary, working mainly from home. In the summer of 2023, while away on a family holiday, the woman said, she discovered that her partner "had downloaded the dating [or] casual sex app, Grindr". This was "specifically oriented for [the] LGBTQ+ community", and it was "clear" to her that her partner was was "engaged in prolific homosexual encounters [or] liaisons", she told the WRC. She also referred to seeing a message from a website called "Escort Ireland" on the businessman's phone during the holiday. Confronted about the matter, her partner's position was that he "planned to undergo treatment for sex and other addiction" and wanted the complainant "to be involved in that programme", the complainant told the tribunal. She told him she did not want to participate, she said. After that, the businessman "terminated [her] employment, ended their relationship and moved out", she wrote in her complaint form. Adjudicator Patricia Owens wrote that she was satisfied the arrangements for a hearing in late 2024 into the case were "properly communicated" to the businessman, but noted he neither attended nor gave the WRC "any response to the complaints". She upheld the unfair dismissal claim in the absence of any evidence contradicting the complainant's position that she was "summarily dismissed", awarding €63,362 for loss of earnings and a further €30,000 for losing access to a company car Ms Owens also awarded €3,712, three weeks' salary, as compensation for the non-provision of a contract of employment and €2,000 under the working time legislation. The total sum awarded in the case was €99,074. The decision was anonymised to shield the identities of the woman's children and in light of separate legal proceedings, the adjudicator noted. The complainant's evidence had been that her pay was stopped in the winter of 2023, leaving her with no income and building up "a lot of debt" while unemployed. Family commitments had meant she could only find part-time work, she added. While she was waiting for social welfare payments to be approved, she had to rely on the support of Women's Aid and St Vincent de Paul to provide for the "basic needs" of herself and her children, she told the WRC. At one stage she resorted to selling household items to pay her bills, she said. She also described waking up one morning in late 2023 to discover that her company car had been towed away overnight leaving her "panicking" about getting her children to school. Her mother, a retiree, drew on savings to pay for a replacement, she said. Ms Owens assessed the loss of the use of the company car at €30,000, factoring that into the award for losses.
Irish Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Partner of alleged sex-addicted businessman awarded €100,000 after dismissal
The partner of an allegedly sex-addicted businessman who sacked her as his company secretary after she confronted him about using a gay dating app and an escort website while on a family holiday has been awarded nearly €100,000 by an employment tribunal. The bulk of the sum, €93,362 was awarded by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for the woman's losses from dismissal after she gave evidence that the businessman cut off her pay and had her company car towed after he left the family home in 2023. She had told her partner she didn't want to be involved with a programme of 'treatment for sex and other addiction' he had proposed and that she planned to separate from him, the tribunal heard. Complaints by the woman under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, and the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 were upheld by the tribunal in an anonymised decision published this morning (WEDS) by the WRC. READ MORE At a hearing in Dublin last winter, the woman told the tribunal she and the businessman were engaged to be married at the time he was establishing the business and that he had fathered her second child. Her evidence was that after the businessman encouraged her to give up her job to 'work for him', she took up a €48,00-a-year position as company secretary, working mainly from home. In the summer of 2023, while away on a family holiday, the woman said, she discovered that her partner 'had downloaded the dating [or] casual sex app, Grindr'. This was 'specifically oriented for [the] LGBTQ+ community', and it was 'clear' to her that her partner was 'engaged in prolific homosexual encounters [or] liaisons', she told the WRC. She also referred to seeing a message from a website called Escort Ireland on the businessman's phone during the holiday. Confronted about the matter, her partner's position was that he 'planned to undergo treatment for sex and other addiction' and wanted the complainant 'to be involved in that programme', the complainant told the tribunal. She told him she didn't want to participate, she said. After that, the businessman 'terminated [her] employment, ended their relationship and moved out', she wrote in her complaint form. Adjudicator Patricia Owens wrote that she was satisfied the arrangements for a hearing in late 2024 into the case were 'properly communicated' to the businessman, but noted he neither attended nor gave the WRC 'any response to the complaints'. She upheld the unfair dismissal claim in the absence of any evidence contradicting the complainant's position that she was 'summarily dismissed', awarding €63,362 for loss of earnings and a further €30,000 for losing access to a company car Ms Owens also awarded €3,712, three weeks' salary, as compensation for the non-provision of a contract of employment and €2,000 under the working time legislation. The total sum awarded in the case was €99,074. The decision was anonymised to shield the identities of the woman's children and in light of separate legal proceedings, the adjudicator said. The complainant's evidence had been that her pay was stopped in the winter of 2023, leaving her with no income and building up 'a lot of debt' while unemployed. Family commitments had meant she could only find part-time work, she said. While she was waiting for social welfare payments to be approved, she had to rely on the support of Women's Aid and St Vincent de Paul to provide for the 'basic needs' of herself and her children, she told the WRC. At one stage she resorted to selling household items to pay her bills, she said. She also described waking up one morning in late 2023 to discover that her company car had been towed away overnight leaving her 'panicking' about getting her children to school. Her mother, a retiree, drew on savings to pay for a replacement, she said. Ms Owens assessed the loss of the use of the company car at €30,000, factoring that into the award for losses.
