Keoghs’ Corporate and Sector Risks team recently represented the defendant in an application to vacate a trial due to COVID-19. The judgment gave some timely guidance on whether giving evidence at court should be regarded as “work” for an employee.
The case concerned a member of the public who suffered an injury following a fall during a circus activities class, with liability in dispute.
The claim was allocated to the fast track and listed for trial on 8 June 2020, with the defendant relying on evidence from three witnesses who, as employees of the defendant, had been placed on furlough. Unfortunately, as a result of the furlough scheme, both the defendant and Keoghs felt unable to make contact with the witnesses in the build up to trial to secure their attendance. As a result an application to vacate the trial was made.
At the hearing, HHJ Godsmark QC was directed to the Government guidelines which state:
“You cannot ask your employee to do any work that:
The defendant’s understanding was that an employee providing a witness statement, attending trial or dealing with other matters associated to a claim where they had only become a witness due to their employment, would be classed as providing a service as an employee. By extension, this means they could not be contacted whilst on furlough. As such, the three witnesses in this case could not be contacted to seek their attendance at court and the defendant would be significantly prejudiced if the trial proceeded.
The claimant’s solicitors, having previously agreed to vacate, backtracked and argued that the trial should proceed.
Whilst HHJ Godsmark QC allowed the application to vacate he indicated that he would not have allowed the adjournment on the grounds that the defendant’s witnesses were furloughed. In fact, he ruled that:
“…attending a court to give evidence for the employer is not “work” and certainly not work within the meaning of the furlough scheme. Further, being contacted by an employer’s solicitor to arrange attendance at court is not asking a furloughed employee to do any work which makes money or provides services in breach of the scheme.
Participating as a witness (for employer or anyone else) in the justice system is not a breach of the terms of the furlough scheme.”
We have all found ourselves in unprecedented times over the last few months and no more so than in personal injury claims. We have proceeded with caution when it has come to making contact with witnesses who have been furloughed, not least because we would not want to prejudice an individual’s entitlement to the furlough scheme. The judgment is therefore welcome guidance given the furlough scheme is in place until October 2020. However, with this situation likely to arise more regularly, the guidance probably doesn’t go far enough given it is limited to attendance at trial, rather than engaging a witness at the outset.
For more information, please contact Hayley Riach.
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