Editor with dyslexia files claim against Bloomberg for alleged discrimination

An editor with dyslexia has issued a claim against his former employer Bloomberg L.P. for alleged discrimination.

According to a writ filed with the District Court, the claimant Simon Anthony Christopher Fuller was said to have been forced to perform manual transcription tasks despite the employer knowing about his conditions. He was also berated by his superior in front of other employees.

Filing the lawsuit, he demanded a written apology and compensation from Bloomberg, as well as enhanced training for the company's directors and senior staff on anti-discrimination practices.

The court document read that the claimant had been working in the same or similar field for around 30 years. He commenced employment with the respondent in March 2018 as “producer/editor” and was responsible for video producing for a live streaming network on Twitter.

The claimant said he was informed that he would be required to manually transcribe subtitles and captions onto videos, a task he told his superiors he found difficult due to his disability. Yet, his concerns were ignored.

Forced to carry out the task, the claimant made spelling and grammatical errors in his work, for which he was berated by his superior in front of other employees, leading the claimant to feel disrespected and shamed.

“If I knew how dyslexic you were. I would never have hired you,” the document quoted the superior as saying.

The claimant eventually requested an internal transfer to remove himself from having to perform duties that his dyslexia made him unable to perform, but was unsuccessful and was asked by the management to meet targets that were impossible to meet, especially in light of his dyslexia.

As a result of the discrimination, the claimant attempted to commit suicide in March last year by taking an overdose of prescription medication, and was taken to a hospital and remained hospitalized for eight days. The claimant was later granted sick leave starting in June and resigned in November.

The document read that the claimant believes that the respondent’s requirement for him to perform tasks that were impossible due to his disability constitutes discrimination and that no reasonable accommodation was provided.

As a result, he requested the court to rule that the defendant violated the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, issue an apology, enhance anti-discrimination training for employees, and compensate him for the period he was on sick leave at his monthly salary of HK$50,000, as well as for emotional damages. The total amount of compensation was not stated in the court filing.