The Labour Court ordered Sonoma Valley to pay Daniel Pender €2,568.84 after finding the company unlawfully deducted that amount from his wages. Pender appealed an adjudication officer’s decision that his Payment of Wages complaint was partly well founded. The Court’s decision was dated 30 January 2024.
Pender said €3,077.34 was due in his final pay and that he received nothing. Sonoma Valley said €2,568.84 was properly payable, including €2,000 it attributed to missing cash and a further €568. The Court found €2,568.84 was properly payable and none had been paid.
The Court held the deduction unlawful because it exceeded the €2,000 loss alleged by the employer. Pender denied stealing the money. The decision records that the parties said the allegation was the subject of ongoing criminal proceedings at the time of the Court hearing.