Radiologist receives $238,000 in wrongful termination case following Christmas party incident

A judge awarded senior radiologist Dr. Kevin Daynes nearly $238,000 in a case in which he was accused of wrongful termination following an incident at a Christmas party.

Private equity-backed I-Med Radiology Network – which recently made its first acquisition in the US – fired the now 72-year-old in May 2022. The decision came after a technician claimed that Daynes had performed a “pelvic thrust” on her during the office's Christmas party, Australian portal News.com.au reported on Sunday.

In another case, a radiographer claimed the breast imaging specialist bullied her at work. Incidents included Daynes storming out of a room when the radiographer came in or handing out sticky notes pointing out her mistakes.

The radiologist later filed suit, seeking over $2.9 million in damages for his firing, as he allegedly could have worked until age 77. Justice Richard Cavanagh of the country's Supreme Court sided with the doctor but decided not to award the substantial compensation.

“There is really no explanation as to why the plaintiff would have done what he is accused of,” Cavanagh said of the incident at the Christmas party, according to the news agency. “There is no indication that the plaintiff drank excessive amounts of alcohol. There is no indication that the conversation between anyone in the group was of a sexual nature. The allegation of sexual harassment is not substantiated.”

Cavanagh concluded that the allegations did not amount to “serious misconduct” and that the dismissal was therefore unfair. At the time of his dismissal, Daynes was on a fixed-term contract that was due to expire in three months. The judge ordered that I-MED pay six months' salary to meet the terms of the contract, including severance pay if he failed to fulfil the contract.

Further information from the news agency can be found here: