The Paris Court of Appeal's ruling of January 21st, 2026, is noteworthy, particularly with regard to the grounds for the workplace harassment suffered by the RATP employee.
The employee alleged workplace harassment, specifically for being held against his will for nearly seven hours (June 3, 2019) and for not providing the agreed-upon work for four months (from June 3 to October 3).
The Paris Court of Appeal overturned the lower court's decision and recognized the workplace harassment of the RATP employee. The Court of Appeal affirms that "Forcing an employee to remain alone in a room for such a long period, depriving them of all contact with the outside world, constitutes humiliating and degrading treatment that infringes upon their dignity."
It also notes that Mr. X was forced to undergo an interrogation after being placed alone in a room on RATP premises on June 3, 2019, from 6:30 p.m. until 1:35 a.m., without union assistance, a situation which, by its duration and context, constitutes a disproportionate and vexatious form of pressure.
Forcing an employee to remain alone in a room for such a long period, depriving them of all contact with the outside world, constitutes humiliating and degrading treatment that infringes upon their dignity.
The employer's claims that it was a "simple statement-taking exercise" are insufficient to remove the coercive and abusive nature of this event.
The court found Mr. X was subjected to excessively long periods of restrictive coercion on June 3, 2019, constituting acts of psychological pressure, and to isolation and deprivation of work over a four-month period from January to October 2019.
Consequently, the court ruled that Mr. X was a victim of psychological harassment, resulting in a deterioration of his working conditions likely to harm his dignity and professional future, and therefore overturned the lower court's judgment on this point.
The employee was awarded €5,000 in damages for psychological harassment, and the dismissal for serious misconduct was reclassified as a wrongful dismissal.
In total, the employee received €32,949 in compensation.
To read the full article, click on the link below.
Frédéric CHHUM avocat et ancien membre du conseil de l’ordre des avocats de Paris (mandat 2019-2021)
CHHUM AVOCATS (Paris, Nantes, Lille)
e-mail: chhum@chhum-avocats.com
https://www.instagram.com/fredericchhum/?hl=fr
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