Company Ordered to Pay €367,000 After Firing Secretary Because the Boss Disliked Her

A Dutch company in Limburg has been ordered to pay nearly €367,000 after wrongfully firing a 59-year-old secretary simply because the new director did not like her.

The woman had worked for the company since 1998 as an executive secretary, also handling HR administration, fleet management, and serving as the internal confidential counselor. After a management change two years ago, the new director claimed he had no confidence in her - largely because of her close working relationship with his predecessor.

The company first sought permission from the UWV (benefits agency) to dismiss her, citing financial losses and redundancy. The UWV refused, noting the company had actually hired new people in her department.

Undeterred, the employer went to court to dissolve her contract, accusing her of mishandling confidential information and fleet management, claiming she had received two written warnings. The secretary denied everything and had 27 years of spotless performance reviews to prove it.

The Maastricht judge tore through the employer's case, calling the UWV application "a farce with a flimsy dossier" and noting the company changed its grounds for dismissal mid-proceedings without providing a single concrete example of misconduct.

"The necessity to dismiss the secretary is evidently based solely on the director's personal antipathy toward her," the judge concluded. The director did not even show up to court.

The total bill includes €48,000 in transition compensation, €240,000 in punitive damages for grossly culpable conduct, €13,000 in legal fees, and €65,000 in continued salary payments - totaling roughly €367,000.