The Workplace Relations Commission found that Thomas Casey was not discriminated against when The Merrymen Management Ltd cancelled his daughter’s communion booking at its hotel. The decision, dated 15 March 2024, found the complaint not well founded.
Casey said he had paid a €525 hotel deposit and alleged the cancellation, made the day before the event, caused distress and other losses. The hotel said a roof leak made the ballroom unsafe and it had tried to contact him about cancelling the booking.
The adjudicator accepted that a leak affected the ballroom and other hotel areas, and found no ulterior discriminatory motive. The WRC accepted that no alternative function room was available that day and concluded the leak justified cancelling the event.