A Hong Kong court has awarded more than HK$251,000 (US$32,000) to the family of a domestic helper who was dismissed by her employer in 2019 after being diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer and later died.
The years-long legal battle involving the late helper, Baby Jane Allas, came to an end on Friday when the District Court ordered her former employer, Jamil Bushra, to pay damages. Bushra had fired Allas in February 2019 while she was on medical leave.
Bushra, who was absent throughout the proceedings, was found to have violated the Disability Discrimination Ordinance by unlawfully dismissing an employee on the grounds of disability.
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) filed the claim against Bushra in 2020, when Allas was still in Hong Kong receiving treatment at a private hospital funded through crowdfunding and support from Jessica Cutrera, her younger sister’s employer.
Allas later returned to the Philippines, where she died in 2021 at the age of 40. She is survived by five children.
In her judgment, Deputy District Judge Ebony Ling Yee-nam said that the sudden dismissal had caused Allas “several emotional distress and financial pressure”, citing evidence that showed she had cried a lot and been left in a vulnerable state.
She also noted that Bushra “never apologised to the deceased during her lifetime”.