The WRC rejected Catherine Winston’s disability discrimination complaint against Lenehans over a visit to the shop during mask requirements. Adjudication officer Niamh O’Carroll dated the decision 8 August 2022.
Winston said staff asked her to leave because she was not wearing a mask, despite her saying she was exempt. She later returned with a letter from her GP. Lenehans said she was not denied access or prevented from doing what she had come to do, and that on her return she was not seeking goods or services.
The officer found the GP letter did not disclose enough medical information to assess whether Winston had a disability under the Equal Status Act. She also found the shop had not been informed of a disability at the time of the visit, and that Winston was not denied access or prevented from completing it. The complaint failed because Winston did not establish a prima facie case of disability discrimination.