Julie Duane secures £2,000 costs order in the Employment Tribunal

Julie Duane, instructed by Shakespeare Martineau, secured a £2,000 costs order in the Employment Tribunal following a successful six-day sex discrimination hearing. 

The claimant, an in-person litigant, was ordered to pay £2,000 towards the employer’s costs. It found that serious allegations pursued against a witness were wholly without merit and had been presented in a way that recast innocent conduct.

In making the order, the Tribunal considered two earlier costs warnings, the claimant’s previous access to legal advice and her ability to pay. It stressed that costs remain the exception in Employment Tribunal proceedings especially against litigants in person. However, the ruling demonstrates that unrepresented status does not prevent an award where serious, unsupported allegations are pursued despite legal advice and repeated costs warnings.