Leni Shanahan wins €5,000 WRC award over sexual harassment complaint

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Leni Shanahan has won €5,000 from the Workplace Relations Commission after bringing a sexual harassment complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 against LN Ice Cream Ltd, operator of Dublin ice cream parlour Spilt Milk.

Adjudicator Pat Brady upheld the claim and awarded the compensation. The company’s investigation said there was no factual evidence to uphold the complaint, while Mr A refuted Shanahan’s allegations. Brady said the business could not rely on the statutory defence because there were “no measures of any sort” to prevent sexual harassment.

Brady also took into account that Shanahan declined to participate in the company investigation and had not complained sooner, while stating that those factors did not diminish the company’s liability. The proceedings were reported on 30 July 2025.