The Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial for an ex-hospital employee who sued the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) over an alleged workplace assault by a co-worker in 2015. Justices of Appeal Peter Rajkumar, Maria Wilson and Geoffrey Henderson sent Kadeisha Roberts’ complaint back to the High Court in an oral ruling earlier this week.

In her original complaint, Roberts said she was in the laundry room when her former colleague shouted at her and attempted to slap her, warning that she “could not take a slap” because she (Roberts) was pregnant. The aggressor then struck her with a laundry crate. Roberts reported the incident to security, the police and her union. She also claimed she suffered humiliation, emotional distress and ongoing threats of violence from the same co-worker.

The incident also led to her being diagnosed with threatened pre-term labour. She also had to be treated for other injuries.