Private Mayfair club member ‘bullied’ after breaching Covid rules, court hears
A member of a private club in Mayfair was “belittled and bullied” after she breached Covid travel rules, the High Court heard.
Gina Mok is seeking to be reinstated as a member of the Lansdowne Club in central London and is claiming damages after she was expelled from the club in November 2021.
Ms Mok, who is unvaccinated, had her membership removed after club bosses said she breached Covid-19 regulations by failing to self-isolate after returning to England following a period spent in Bulgaria.
Lawyers for Ms Mok say she “inadvertently and excusably” failed to comply with the restrictions as the guidelines changed “unbeknownst” to her.
They claim her actions were not “injurious to the character, reputation or interest of the club” and that she had suffered “mental distress, disappointment and injury to feelings” owing to her removal.
On Friday, the court in London heard that Ms Mok joined the Lansdowne Club - which is run by Fitzmaurice House Limited - in 2015 and was elected as a council member in September 2020.
Patrick Heneghan, representing Ms Mok, said in written submissions that senior leaders saw her as a “troublemaker” and “problematic” almost immediately after her appointment to the council.
Mr Heneghan told the court Ms Mok, who moved to the UK from the US in 2008, had enjoyed an “unblemished record” with the club but was disciplined on the day of her appointment to the council for criticising members of the catering department.
This led to a “coordinated campaign by senior members of the council” to have her removed from the club, Mr Heneghan said.
The court heard Ms Mok was disciplined for a second time in October 2020 when she sent an invitation to club members offering to meet for drinks to discuss business.
The invite was sent after the Lansdowne Club issued a notice to say it may begin to facilitate gatherings for business purposes after some Covid rules were relaxed, the court was told.
Mr Heneghan said that in October 2021, Ms Mok returned from Bulgaria and visited the club but had not been aware of the changes in guidance on self-isolating after the trip abroad.
While she was away, Mr Heneghan said, Bulgaria was moved to being a country where travellers were required to self-isolate for 10 days after returning to England.
The court heard that despite a complaint about Ms Mok’s status as needing to self-isolate being made to the club, she returned to attend a full council meeting the following day.
‘Risked health of others’
In written submissions, David Reade KC, representing the club, said a decision to remove Ms Mok was made at a council meeting in November 2021.
Mr Reade said Ms Mok had “put the health of others at risk by attending the council meeting” and was “displaying cold-like symptoms, despite having been told that other council members were vulnerable, and having been offered the option to attend by Zoom”.
The barrister told the court Ms Mok “initially acknowledged her poor conduct, describing it as ‘shameful’ and saying that she ‘would rather resign discreetly and voluntarily”‘.
However, “she subsequently reversed her position and claimed to be medically exempt from the relevant Covid regulations”, Mr Reade added.
Mr Reade said that the council, which unanimously voted to uphold the complaint against Ms Mok, found she had “demonstrated an undesirable attitude towards compliance with the rules, the health of others including club members and staff, and the club’s reputation”.
The barrister told the court that the council “also observed that she had not shown any real remorse for her actions”.
Mr Reade said that membership to the club was reviewed annually and “had she not been expelled, her membership would have ended, in any event, on June 6, 2022, unless she had been re-elected”.
He added the council “can refuse re-election to membership without a requirement to give a reason for that refusal”.
The hearing in front of Mr Justice Ritchie is expected to conclude on Oct 17 with a decision due in writing at a later date.