Socially anxious scientist who sued because she was not invited to Christmas party while off sick loses claim

A socially concerned scientist who claimed disability discrimination because she was not invited to work at Christmas has lost her claim.

Ecologist Shelby Caughman sued Echoes Ecology after she was deliberately denied an invitation to a small festival gathering while she was ill with anxiety-related issues.

The 35-year-old, who suffers from agoraphobia, which means the fear of leaving home or being in crowded places, tried to claim that being excluded from the eight-person working group amounted to disability discrimination.

However, her colleagues decided not to invite her as they believed attending would cause her further distress, especially as she said she felt ‘overwhelmed’ to return to work at the time.

An employment judge ruled that although the decision was due to his disability, he was justified in the circumstances and did not breach discrimination law.

The court heard Ms Caughman started working as a consultant ecologist for Echoes Ecology in April 2023, along with seven other colleagues.

He had ADHD, autism, complex post-traumatic stress disorder and agoraphobia, and he made sure the company was aware of his condition.

The decision follows a claim by ecologist Shelby Caughman, who sued her employer for not being invited to a small office Christmas gathering.

Ms Caughman made several complaints to the company for “increased work stress” and “failure to make reasonable accommodations”

Ms Caughman made several complaints to the company for “increased work stress” and “failure to make reasonable accommodations”.

In June 2024, he took a week off on Statutory Sick Pay after experiencing mental health issues, after which he agreed to return to work in a phased manner.

Ms Caughman was placed on sick leave from the beginning of July 2024 and did not return to work until resigning in February 2025.

During this time, Echoes Ecology contacted him to see if he was well enough to return to work.

An occupational health report prepared by an occupational therapist claimed Ms Caughman needed adjustments to allow her to return due to her disability, such as flexible working hours and the ability to work from home.

The report also stated that he wanted to be exempt from team meetings and social gatherings so he could miss them.

Following the preparation of the report, Ms Caughman explained at a meeting that she disagreed with the statements regarding exemption from assemblies and social gatherings because she enjoyed social gatherings and ‘just wanted a choice’.

Although he was due to return to work in December, he said it left him feeling ‘overwhelmed’ and debated moving his return date into the new year.

The company held a Christmas party in December and decided not to invite Ms Caughman to it ‘so as not to cause further concern for her’.

They said this decision was based on the report they were given about his agoraphobia and also that he was ‘too overwhelmed’ to return to work.

Ms Caughman emailed to say she realized she had not been invited to the Christmas party and was told they felt it would be ‘insensitive’ and cause stress if they were invited, but apologized if they had misinterpreted the situation.

The court ruled that not inviting Ms Caughman to the Christmas party was discriminatory, but that it was a ‘justified’ reaction to her comments about her mental health at the time.

It is heard that Ms Caughman started working at Echoes Ecology as a consultant ecologist in April 2023, along with seven colleagues. Picture of Echoes Ecology offices in Scotland

Employment Judge Peter O’Donnell said: ‘The court considers this was because of ‘something’ arising from his disability, namely his absence from work and [Echoes Ecology’s] They felt it would be insensitive to invite him when they (mistakenly) understood that he was unfit to attend and, according to the OH report, he was trying to be exempt from team meetings and social gatherings.

‘Therefore, there was discrimination based on disability in not attending Christmas Eve.

‘However, the Court considers this to be objectively justified.

‘[Echoes Ecology] clearly had the legitimate aim of trying to avoid causing [Ms Caughman] The added hassle of inviting him to an event that he apparently doesn’t want to attend and isn’t qualified to attend.

‘The court accepts that this is not the case’ [Ms Caughman’s] He stated that he did not want to attend Christmas Eve, but the Court also accepted that, although he was mistaken, this was his sincere belief that Echoes Ecology was not attending.

‘There was a real basis’ [Echoes Ecology’s] ‘Belief in the contents of the OH report and there was nothing to contradict it.’

Ms Caughman also failed to claim harassment, victimisation, reasonable accommodation and constructive dismissal.

She previously worked at Lee Lee’s Life Lessons, run by her mother.