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Employment law brief: 11 March 2011

11 March 2011 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7456 / Categories: Features
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Ian Smith reports on an unusual misconduct dismissal, Tupeland & product placement

As well as a blatant piece of product placement (legal as from last month, see box on p 343), this column concentrates on only two of the considerable number of employment cases reported recently, both of which raised fundamental issues which need the space. 

  • The first concerned an unusual point on misconduct dismissals—if you have to look at what the employer actually knew as at the date of dismissal, what does a corporate or institutional employer “know”?
  • The second addresses a potentially vital issue on TUPE (itself under attack last month politically for “gold plating” the backing directive) as to how it interacts with insolvency laws and provisions.

What does a corporate employer “know”?

The well known rule in Devis & Sons Ltd v Atkins [1977] AC 931, HL normally operates to provide that an employer cannot justify a dismissal as fair on after-acquired evidence. Another way of putting this is that fairness requires evaluation of the employer’s decision

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

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