Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) must pay more than £27k to a disabled former employee who brought a discrimination claim against the company.
The case, filed by Star Citizen senior programmer Paul Ah-Thion, revolves around a return-to-work policy that also involved work from the company’s new central Manchester office location – some 15 miles from its previous Wilmslow location.
Ah-Thion, who previously worked in-office at Wilmslow, brought the case after his requests to work remotely rather than travel into central Manchester were denied and he was subsequently terminated, Game Developer reported.
CIG had previously allowed Ah-Thion and other employees to work remotely for several years, but in 2022 decided to take a “tougher” stance on remote work.
The tribunal dismissed “rather retrospective” claims by CIG that Ah-Thion’s performance had been a concern, and decided that allowing him to work from home would have been a “reasonable adjustment”.
CIG’s penalty of £27,748 includes more than £14k of lost earnings, and £12k compensation for injury to feelings.
“I’ve been fighting this by myself for two years, and being autistic made the whole process especially challenging,” Ah-Thion told Game Developer. “But we’re lucky to have the employment tribunal system, where an ordinary person can actually find justice without having to bankrupt themselves on legal fees.