Eddie Rockets instructed to compensate former

Eddie Rockets has been mandated to pay €5,000 after admitting discrimination against former Paralympic athlete Nadine Lattimore, who uses a guide dog, at an equality hearing.

The Workplace Relations Commission heard in October that Ms Lattimore was informed by a staff member at the Parnell Street restaurant in Dublin 2 that she would need to sit near the entrance if she brought her guide dog inside.

This case marked the third occasion this year that Ms Lattimore approached the Workplace Relations Commission to assert her rights as a blind individual regarding difficulties in accessing business locations with her guide dog.

On 2 October 2023, Ms Lattimore testified that upon arriving at Eddie Rockets on Parnell Street, she was directed to a booth by the entrance by an employee.

She expressed various safety and security concerns about being seated directly beside the door due to her disability and requested a table located further inside the establishment, noting that her guide dog, Pilot, wouldn’t fit comfortably under the table.

“I was trying to engage in a conversation,” Ms Lattimore explained, stating in front of the tribunal that she was attempting to assert her rights. “I was just talked over,” she said, describing the response she received as “an absolute blanket no.”

“I’m trying to maintain a positive outlook on this so I can articulate: ‘This is what’s going awry, this is how we can prevent it from happening again,’ trying to engage with the person and address it, rather than just being treated like a difficult customer,” she stated.

She quoted the supervisor saying: “You are being rude.” Ms Lattimore mentioned she was trying to “advocate for [herself] rather than leave the restaurant in tears and go home to nurse my wounds.”

“I’ve traveled by planes, trains, and boats across numerous countries. I previously had another dog, and we roamed extensively throughout Europe and America. I proudly represented Ireland at the 2012 Paralympic Games, alongside my dog – yet I can’t make it 100 meters around the corner to a local restaurant,” Ms Lattimore testified.

A former chairman of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Patrick Burke, informed the tribunal that many clients reported “a lot” of similar incidents regarding access to businesses during the same period – with some even opting to leave their animals at home due to fears of a negative reaction.

Mr Burke stated that he attempted to resolve Ms Lattimore’s situation directly with Eddie Rockets in November 2023, noting that the company initially rejected claims of discrimination, citing a “full internal investigation.”

“It appeared to me that nobody had learned anything or wanted to learn anything,” he remarked.

A representative for Eddie Rockets remarked that the restaurant group “admitted the discrimination,” but contended that the staff member Ms Lattimore encountered was not “difficult in any way.”

Aoife Farrelly BL, representing the chain, noted: “The supervisor made an error, an unacceptable one, but it was corrected immediately by the head chef. The suggestion that she was difficult or brusque is denied.”

Ms Farrelly remarked that the employee had since undergone comprehensive training concerning service animals.

David McCarroll, a partner at law firm RDJ LLP representing Ms Lattimore, mentioned that there was a later attempt by the company to have Ms Lattimore “settled away from addressing her rights” with “€5,000” offered.

“This is not solely about financial compensation; otherwise, we would have accepted an offer. It concerns the assertion that these rights can and should be upheld and that such conduct is unlawful,” Mr McCarroll articulated. He argued for a maximum award of €15,000 under the Equal Status Act to serve as a “dissuasive” measure for other businesses.

Ms Farrelly advocated for a lesser compensation amount, claiming that maximum compensation levels under equality law should be reserved for cases necessitating full proof and a cross-examination of a complainant.

Adjudicator Marie Flynn noted in her ruling that Eddie Rockets had “recognized that its staff member’s actions were unacceptable and has implemented remedial measures.”

She ordered a compensation payment of €5,000 to Ms Lattimore and suggested that the chain consider placing signs that read: “Guide Dogs and Assistance Dogs Welcome” at all its establishments.

Ms Lattimore represented Ireland in track and field at the 2012 Paralympic Games held in London.

In July, discount retailer Dealz was instructed to compensate Ms Lattimore €7,000 for the “humiliation” she experienced when a security guard informed her that her guide dog was “not permitted” in its store located in the Ilac Centre, Dublin 2.

Then, in September, Lidl was ordered to pay her €2,000 after an incident in February where an employee at one of its supermarkets in Dublin City Centre expressed concerns about Pilot potentially “licking the food” in the bakery aisle, resulting in what Ms Lattimore described as an “embarrassing and humiliating” exchange among staff.