Litigation Letter
The ‘but for’ test in occupational stress
Dickens v O2 Plc [2008] EWCA Civ 1144
The claimant was originally employed as a secretary, but was promoted to a role that she was unqualified to perform, which
involved preparing and managing the defendant’s regulatory accounts. When her health broke down, she claimed damages for psychiatric
injury caused by the defendant’s negligence in exposing her to excessive stress.