Courts / Dublin / Report
Gym-goer told she was too old for student discount wins €3k
Summary
In a case brought before the Workplace Relations Commission, Margaret Fitzpatrick, a gym member for about fourteen years, claimed age‑based discrimination after being denied a student discount at West Wood Club CLG. Fitzpatrick, who became a full‑time student in April 2023, presented her student card in May 2023 but was told she was ineligible because she was "more than 25 years old." She served statutory notice in June, but the gym's solicitors denied any unlawful discrimination, arguing that the discount was limited to students under 25. The WRC adjudicator, Jim Dolan, applied a hypothetical comparator approach, comparing Fitzpatrick's situation with that of a full‑time student under 25 who would receive the discount. Finding the claim well‑founded, he ordered West Wood to pay Fitzpatrick €3,000 in compensation for the age‑based discrimination. The decision was made in April 2024.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Gym-goer told she was too old for student discount wins €3k. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- April 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-04-12 Publication
Why: Setting out her case to a hearing last November, Ms Fitzpatrick explained that she had been a member of her local gym for around 14 years when she became a full-time student in April 2023. CNI source report
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