US EditionNew Money Making Scheme Just Dropped: Employee Wins $30k Lawsuit After Co-Worker Compared Her to Darth Vader, Ruining Her Reputation Beyond Repair
- In 2021, Lorna Rooke, a supervisor with NHS Blood and Transplant in London, received nearly £29,000 in compensation after a colleague completed a Star Wars-related personality quiz on her behalf without permission and assigned her the label of Darth Vader.
- This event occurred during a team-building exercise in August 2021, when Rooke had temporarily left the meeting and her colleague Amanda Harber filled out the test for her, leading to a group comparison that prompted Rooke to feel upset and eventually resign.
- An employment tribunal in Croydon concluded that the comparison constituted a workplace detriment causing harm to Rooke’s professional environment, despite dismissing her claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.
- Judge Kathryn Ramsden remarked, "Darth Vader is a legendary villain," and ruled it was "little wonder" that Rooke found being aligned with his personality insulting and upsetting.
- The case highlights risks of informal personality assessments in workplaces and underscores employers’ obligations to foster respect and prevent harm from demeaning team activities.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Woman Wins £30K After Being Called Darth Vader at Work
Team-building activities rarely end in legal settlements. Unless, of course, someone gets called Darth Vader in front of their coworkers. Lorna Rooke, a former training supervisor with NHS Blood and Transplant, has been awarded £28,989.61 (about $36,500 USD) after an employment tribunal found that a colleague publicly comparing her to the Star Wars villain was, legally speaking, a workplace “detriment.” The tribunal, held in Croydon, south Londo…
Health Worker Called Darth Vader By Coworkers Wins Nearly $40,000
Imagine walking back into a meeting and being told you’ve been cast as Darth Vader in a workplace personality quiz—without your knowledge. That’s exactly what happened to Lorna Rooke, a U.K. blood donation supervisor, and it just earned her nearly £29,000 in a tribunal ruling. During a team-building exercise at the NHS, a colleague filled out a Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs test for her while she stepped out. It landed her the role of the galaxy…
Team building goes wrong: woman is compared to Darth Vader and now receives 35,000 euros in damages
A British woman has been awarded almost £30,000 in damages after being called Darth Vader at work. The court said the comparison to the legendary villain from the Star Wars series was ‘offensive’ and ‘disturbing’.
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