The Workplace Relations Commission found that Caulfield’s Supervalu discriminated against Orla Kelly and ordered it to pay her €1,000 compensation. The decision was dated 22 November 2022.
Kelly said the store refused her entry on 5 March 2021 because she was not wearing a face mask. She said the manager demanded a doctor’s letter to prove her medical exemption and threatened to call Gardaí if she did not leave. The encounter in front of other shoppers left her humiliated and embarrassed, she said.
The respondent did not attend the remote hearing or provide documents. The adjudication officer found it had been notified and that its absence was unreasonable. With no evidence to challenge Kelly’s account, the WRC found the complaint well-founded. Equal Status law prohibits discrimination in access to services, including shops, on protected grounds such as disability.