There was another twist in Jordan Wimmer's £4 million constructive dismissal case against Nomos Capital founder Mark Lowe this week, as the defendant took the stand.  Lowe admitted to sending sexually explicit emails to female employees and calling Wimmer a "dumb blonde" and "decorative"; he also said he had a "marked preference" for female sales staff, which he justified as "pure commercial sense."  Wimmer also produced one email in which Lowe asked her whether an internship candidate was "cute" or "blonde."

But Lowe rejected Wimmer's claims that he'd hired escorts, who accompanied him to business meetings, and a hitman to kill her.  He also denied accusations that he made sexual advances towards Wimmer, saying he always treated her "in a gentlemanly way."

A judge in Hong Kong has awarded 18 former Cathay Pacific pilots $7.6m in damages for unfair dismissal - eight years after they were dismissed.

The BBC reports the pilots were sacked after they started a 'work-to-rule campaign' during a labour dispute.  They belonged to a group of 49 pilots, known as the 49ers, all of whom were fired.  (NB. The other 31 pilots also sued, but settled with the company.)

The labour dispute centred on the pilots' claims that they were often made to fly longer than agreed hours, with insufficient break time between flights.

At the time they were dismissed, Cathay said it was because of "frequent sick days" and "a negative attitude towards management."

But Judge Ansemolo Reyes said that "the predominant reason for the plaintiffs' termination by Cathay was their perceived participation in union activities."  The judge added: "By dismissing them, Cathay hoped to send a strong signal to other union members to comply with management's line or else face a similar fate as the 49ers."

He also ruled that the pilots were defamed by the company's statements.

Former Nomus Capital executive Jordan Wimmer, who is suing ex-boss Mark Lowe for sex discrimination, unlawful deduction of wages, unfair constructive dismissal, and disability discrimination, has claimed he hired a Russian hitman to kill her.

Ms. Wimmer has already claimed she was forced to watch father-of-two Lowe have a lap dance at a Burlesque nightclub in Paris and that he invited a young Thai escort wearing "hot pants and stilettos" to a business meeting.

Jordan Wimmer, 29, of Chelsea, west London, says her boss Mark Lowe, founder and owner of Nomos Capital, branded her a "bimbo" and "stupid blonde," and forced her to quit her £500,000-a-year job as a marketing executive.  The Canadian is now suing Lowe for £4 million, claiming sex discrimination, unlawful deduction of wages, unfair constructive dismissal, and disability discrimination.

Wimmer claims was forced to watch father-of-two Lowe have a lap dance at a burlesque club in Paris "under great duress."  She also alleges he invited a young Thai escort to business meetings: "In spite of everyone else wearing formal business attire, [the escort] wore hot pants which barely covered her buttocks, stilettos, and no stockings."

Over the past four months, we've taken a look at a number of different laws in the workplace. 

We began with unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, constructive dismissal and redundancy.

After that, we looked at retirement and age discrimination - including the default retirement age.

Next, we discussed sexual discrimination (including the gender pay gap); racial discrimination; disability discrimination; and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, religion, and philosophical belief.

We then considered working hour rules and rest period requirements; workplace health and safety; the right to paid holidays; and national minimum wage law.  We also discussed pregnancy, maternity, and paternity rights.

After this, we looked at the significance of work status and rights for agency workers.

From here, we analysed employee misconduct, whistleblowing, and bullying and workplace harassment.

We next looked at severance pay and employment contracts.

Alan Curbishley has won his case for constructive dismissal against West Ham United.  Curbishley left Upton Park in September 2008 after less than two years in charge - in circumstances very similar to Kevin Keegan's departure from Newcastle United - claiming he was forced to resign because the club ignored a clause in his contract giving him the final word on player transfers.

A Premier League arbitration tribunal unanimously upheld Curbishley's claim and dismissed a counter-claim by West Ham for the cost of employing Gianfranco Zola, his successor, and Steve Clarke, his assistant.  The tribunal will now assess how much compensation the club will have to pay Curbishley for wrongful dismissal.

"I am obviously delighted with this result," Curbishley said.  "I very much enjoyed my time at West Ham and never wanted to leave, but when I joined them I insisted that my contract contain a clause confirming that I would have final say on the selection of players to be transferred to and from the club.

A senior council officer sacked for allegedly raping a colleague, who was awarded £25,000 for wrongful dismissal and £16,385 for sexual discrimination, has had his compensation reduced on appeal.

LocalGov.co.uk reports the man was arrested, but his alleged victim, a service director with the council, refused to press charges.

Riam Dean, 22, was born with no left forearm and has been wearing a prosthetic limb since she was three months old.  Last summer, she was working at the Savile Row branch of Abercrombie & Fitch, when one of her managers approached her and told her to get off the shop floor because she was wearing a cardigan, in violation of Abercrombie's strict dress code.

Apparently, the company has a "Look" policy, which demands that employees "maintain a consistent level of dress and grooming that represents what people expect from [the brand]."  Presumably, cardies just don't cut the mustard these days..

A council worker has won £66,000 in compensation from Conservative-controlled Mid-Sussex District Council for unfair and wrongful dismissal, the Daily Mail reports.

Roger Mills, of East Grinstead, West Sussex, had worked for the council for 14 years and had a spotless record.  But, he had "personal differences" with his new boss, Shaun Morley, who used taxpayers' money to hire private detectives to spy on him.

After four months of surveillance, Mr. Mills was sacked for gross misconduct for "spending time at home during work hours."  However, Mr. Mills had a long-standing arrangement allowing him to work from home.