A leading employment specialist is suing one of Britain's most famous sailors after she dropped out of a round-the-world yacht race.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first sailor to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe, runs the annual Clipper Round The World Yacht Race. Ruth Harvey, an employment lawyer who used to be a partner at Hunton & Williams, signed up for the race and appealed for donations towards the £40,000 cost of entry. The yachts left Southampton last September and arrived back in the UK earlier this month, but without Harvey on board. In common with many participants, she had dropped out of the race before the finish line
Harvey's failure to finish has now morphed into litigation. She claims, ingeniously it seems, that she was an employee of the race organisers despite the unusual working relationship of her actually paying them. She is claiming both victimisation and harassment, and a preliminary hearing was held in the Southampton Employment Tribunal on 18th July. Two days have been set aside in November when the tribunal will rule on issues such as jurisdiction and whether she can be classed as a worker.
Harvey wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the alleged harassment or victimisation. In a statement to RollOnFriday she said she maintained that "I was a worker for the provisions of the Employment Rights Act as regards safety and that I was covered by Equality Act provisions “in any capacity” on board as regards harassment. Complex legal argument here involves both domestic and EU law and similar recent cases have gone as far as the Supreme Court.”
A spokeswoman for Sir Robin said "whilst we can confirm we are currently in a tribunal process with Ms Harvey, it is our policy not to comment further upon on-going legal matters".
Tip Off ROF
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first sailor to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe, runs the annual Clipper Round The World Yacht Race. Ruth Harvey, an employment lawyer who used to be a partner at Hunton & Williams, signed up for the race and appealed for donations towards the £40,000 cost of entry. The yachts left Southampton last September and arrived back in the UK earlier this month, but without Harvey on board. In common with many participants, she had dropped out of the race before the finish line
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Harvey sees her yacht sail off without her - how it might have looked. |
Harvey's failure to finish has now morphed into litigation. She claims, ingeniously it seems, that she was an employee of the race organisers despite the unusual working relationship of her actually paying them. She is claiming both victimisation and harassment, and a preliminary hearing was held in the Southampton Employment Tribunal on 18th July. Two days have been set aside in November when the tribunal will rule on issues such as jurisdiction and whether she can be classed as a worker.
Harvey wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the alleged harassment or victimisation. In a statement to RollOnFriday she said she maintained that "I was a worker for the provisions of the Employment Rights Act as regards safety and that I was covered by Equality Act provisions “in any capacity” on board as regards harassment. Complex legal argument here involves both domestic and EU law and similar recent cases have gone as far as the Supreme Court.”
A spokeswoman for Sir Robin said "whilst we can confirm we are currently in a tribunal process with Ms Harvey, it is our policy not to comment further upon on-going legal matters".
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