£208,000 settlement for woman abused by former Harrods chairman
Emily* worked in a senior support role at Harrods in the mid-2000s. We helped her claim compensation for abuse she experienced by the Harrods chairman.
*Name changed to protect identity
What happened to Emily?
During her employment, she was sexually abused by Mohammed Al Fayed. At the time, Emily felt unable to report what had happened due to the significant power imbalance, concerns about the consequences, and the environment she was working in
She later left Harrods and was unable to return to her previous career.
The impact on her life
The abuse had a profound and lasting impact on Emily’s mental health and career.
She experienced symptoms including anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks and disturbed sleep. These difficulties significantly affected her relationships and ability to work.
Emily was unable to work for a prolonged period and, when she did return, she was no longer able to pursue the high-level career she had previously built. Instead, she moved into roles where she felt safer and more supported.
Even many years later, the effects of what happened to her continued to affect her day-to-day life.
How Irwin Mitchell helped Emily
More than 20 years after the abuse, Emily felt able to come forward and seek legal advice. Given the passage of time, her case required detailed and careful preparation.
We:
- Traced and obtained extensive records, including historic medical and employment evidence dating back many years
- Reviewed those records forensically to build a clear picture of the impact of the abuse over time
- Took detailed witness evidence, including multiple statements to ensure her account was fully and accurately presented
- Jointly instructed a consultant psychiatric expert with the Defendant
- Engaged extensively with the expert, putting detailed and targeted questions and follow-up queries to ensure the medical evidence fully addressed issues such as causation, prognosis and long-term impact
- Advised Emily on complex legal issues which would exist outside of the Scheme, including limitation, evidential challenges and vicarious liability
- Negotiated robustly on her behalf through the Harrods Redress Scheme.
As part of the process, we secured an interim payment to provide early financial support, before continuing negotiations to achieve a final settlement.
The outcome
Through the Harrods Redress Scheme, Emily secured £208,000 in compensation.
Importantly:
- She received 100% of the compensation awarded, with no deductions for legal costs under the Scheme
- The award was not reduced to reflect litigation risks, including the fact the case was brought many years after the abuse and the challenges in proving the claim
- The award included an amount for the impact on her work, which are difficult awards to achieve outside of the Scheme.
This ensured that the compensation properly reflected both the seriousness of the abuse and its long-term impact.
A step towards justice
While no amount of compensation can undo what Emily experienced, the outcome represented an important step in acknowledging the abuse and the impact it has had on her life.
We’re proud to have supported her in achieving this result and in helping her access justice in a way that prioritised her wellbeing.
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