‘Ashamed’ ex-Hooters boss who cried in courtroom harassed worker earlier than £60k payout
Rachel Moss, who was the director of a company that operated a UK branch of Hooters, was in court this week for a driving offence but just year she faced a tribunal for harassment at work
A former UK Hooters restaurant manager had the company fork out over £60,000 after she harassed a disabled employee. Rachel Moss, who also goes by Rachel Tansey, appeared in court this week for failing to provide a specimen after being stopped by police. She told the court how she was “ashamed” of her actions.
Moss was at the helm of the Liverpool Hooters restaurant until owners Beauvoir Developments Ltd, who she was the director for, went into liquidation. Another company now operates the city’s controversial US bar chain venue.
On Tuesday, March 4, Moss, or Tansey as she is known in court, received a 12-month community order, 130 hours of unpaid work, and a two-year driving ban for failing to provide a specimen when stopped by police on April 20, 2023.
The 44-year-old from Argarmeols Road in Formby was visibly upset as Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard of her shame at being there. It has since emerged that earlier this year, Moss and her former company Beauvoir Developments Ltd were found guilty of harassing a former employee named Miss M Gibson due to her disability and ordered to pay a significant sum.
As per an employment tribunal judgement published on January 14 this year, Miss Gibson was employed by Ms Moss and Beauvoir Developments Ltd in a hospitality role from November 2022 to November 2023. Miss Gibson, who is bipolar and has ADHD, lodged a complaint of disability-related harassment in December 2023, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The presiding judge, Judge Ainscough, concurred that she had resigned due to unlawful harassment, resulting in loss of wages. He ruled that the claimant was entitled to ‘injury to feelings’ compensation.
In total, Beauvoir Developments Ltd and Rachel Moss were instructed to pay Miss M Gibson £25,000 for ‘injury to feelings’, over £14,000 for actual wage loss, and £2,936.24 for future wage loss. They were also fined an additional £10,552.50 for not adhering to the ACAS code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.
Including other associated costs, the total sum ordered by the tribunal exceeded £62,000.
According to a notice on the Companies House website, it was agreed at a meeting on December 6 last year that Beauvoir Developments Ltd – where Ms Moss was the sole remaining director – would voluntarily wind up. Molly Monks from Cheshire-based insolvency firm Parker Walsh was appointed as the liquidator.
The process of winding up a company involves shutting down its operations, selling off its assets, and settling any outstanding debts. Once a company is officially liquidated, it ceases to conduct business or employ staff.
The liquidator later confirmed that a new business had begun operating from the same location, continuing to use the Hooters brand. In relation to her conviction for failing to provide a specimen, Liverpool Magistrates were informed on Tuesday morning that Merseyside Police pulled over Ms Moss/Tansey’s silver Land Rover Discovery on the Formby Bypass in the early hours of April 20, 2023.
For more shocking stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters
