Freshfields has kicked off initial discussions to claim back its costs after a tribunal ruling last month dismissed Bloxham’s discrimination claim and found the magic circle firm had been balanced in its approach to changing its pension scheme.
It is understood Freshfields has yet to put a value on the costs. Bloxham’s solicitors, Dawsons, has indicated that he will vigorously contest any application made by Freshfields.
In a statement released today (8 November),
Bloxham is currently reviewing whether to appeal the tribunal’s decision of 10 October, in which the Central London Employment Tribunal ruled unanimously in favour of Freshfields.
Bloxham, the firm’s former restructuring head, had alleged Freshfields discriminated against him on the basis of age when it introduced a new, less generous pension scheme. He claimed the magic circle law firm forced him to retire, affecting his entitlements.
The tribunal found that Freshfields had been discriminatory on the grounds of age when the new pensions provisions were introduced, but “comfortably passed” the test of whether the reforms were done in a proportionate manner as a means of achieving a legitimate aim.
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