A former finance employee, who was fired despite having a cyst \u2018the size of a coke can\u2019 on one of her ovaries, has taken her former employer to the Court of Appeal in a landmark trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sanju Pal, 43, was a manager at the London office of global consulting giant Accenture when she started suffering from a severe case of endometriosis<\/a> \u2013 a condition with chronic symptoms\u00a0that affects 1 in 10 women in the UK.<\/a><\/p>\n Accenture terminated her contract in 2019, after Pal failed to make promotion to senior manager after being at the firm for over 10 years, part of their progression-based \u2018up or out model\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Sanju, what matters is making a change for people with conditions like Endometriosis. <\/p>\n Pal said: \u201cI turned down a settlement agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cAs hard as it\u2019s been, and it\u2019s a David and Goliath battle, at least I can use my voice, tell my story, and per these proceedings, make some difference for women with chronic conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n After starting to feel abdominal pain in the summer of 2018, what Sanju initially thought was a bladder infection became excruciating pain that lasted for an entire month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pal said: \u201cI went to get a scan done, and they revealed a 7.5-centimetre endometrioma, which was the size of a Coke can on my left ovary, and a smaller one on my right\u201d.<\/p>\n Immediately sent to the operating room, Pal had to take time off work while on the road to becoming a senior manager, in what she described as \u2018the beginning of the end\u2019 of her time at Accenture.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even after taking a month away from work, the court heard how her symptoms had become chronic, with Pal feeling serious lower abdominal pain and a lack of energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pal said: \u201cI was really unwell; I was bleeding every single day. <\/p>\n \u201cI was in so much pain that I had to go off sick again, I think I went back to work too quickly, and then I was on, off sick.\u201d<\/p>\n After coming back to take an internal role at Accenture, Pal often worked from home suffering from extreme fatigue, pain and irregular bleeding.<\/p>\n A few months later, she was terminated from her role at Accenture \u2013 claiming that she was given no notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pal said:\u00a0\u201cAfter they terminated me, they said it was according to a \u2018disciplinary process\u2019. What did I do wrong? Nothing\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n The courts previously ruled in Accenture\u2019s favour in 2022 \u2013 a ruling that Pal labelled \u2018a character assassination\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cThe judgment absolutely annihilated me. It maimed me, and judges need to remember there is a human being attached to that claimant. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to talk about because it took me to a very, very, dark place\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pal\u2019s request for an appeal was accepted, and after her appeal hearing last week, the judge decided to defer his judgment for a couple of weeks. <\/p>\n Pal hopes this means the judge and the panel will take their time when considering the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n Much of the appeal hearing discussed whether her termination violated the Employment Rights Act, as well as whether Pal should have been considered as having a disability due to her endometriosis diagnosis.<\/p>\n Although Pal is yet to find out the outcome of her appeal, she feels external factors suggest things are already moving in the right direction regarding the legal status of endometriosis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last month, the All-Party Parliamentary Committee announced that it would establish an inquiry into workplace discrimination related to endometriosis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Pal hopes that this could lead to an amendment in the Employment Rights Act to protect individuals suffering from endometriosis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pal said: \u201cI think it\u2019s all very timely, and regardless of the outcome of my case, we\u2019re seeing momentum.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really hopeful\u201d.<\/p>\n Accenture did not respond to comment. <\/p>\n