The Workplace Relations Commission found that Shaun Walton was not discriminated against by J J Field & Co t/a Fields Supervalu Skibbereen. The decision was dated 6 September 2022. Walton said he went without a mask while shopping with his wife so she could lip-read him, and claimed discrimination by association and a failure to accommodate her hearing loss.
The supermarket said it did not know of his wife’s hearing difficulty and argued that Walton’s refusal to wear a mask was part of his campaign against restrictions. The WRC found that staff challenged him because he was not wearing a mask, and that he was not denied goods or services. It also found he had not established a case for reasonable accommodation. It concluded that he was not discriminated against.