Labour Court rejects unfair-dismissal appeal over time limit

The Labour Court affirmed a decision that Jonathan Muldoon’s unfair-dismissal complaint was out of time, and his appeal failed. The decision was dated 13 September 2023; the merits were not decided. Muldoon resigned on 11 September 2020. The six-month filing deadline expired on 10 March 2021, but the Workplace Relations Commission received his complaint on 21 April. He argued that a close relative’s terminal illness was an exceptional circumstance justifying the delay. The department said he had not shown that the illness prevented him from filing on time. The court found that Muldoon had not shown reasonable cause for the delay. It decided the appeal on written submissions with both parties’ agreement.