Sex discrimination: Illegality would not preclude sex discrimination claim

An employment tribunal erred in finding that a contract of employment where payment was set at a level that did not interfere with the employee's receipt of state benefits was tainted by illegality preventing the employee from making a sex discrimination claim, holds the EAT in Chilton v HM Prison Service 23.7.99 EAT 979/98. Even if the tribunal had been correct in concluding that the contract between the parties was tainted with illegality, that did not prevent the employee from bringing a sex discrimination claim.