Hunt v ALDI Foods Pty Limited trading as ALDI
[2024] QDC 15 · Sheridan DCJ
Tracey-Maree Hunt was a store manager at an ALDI supermarket in Brisbane. She claimed she injured her left arm in November 2019 after working seven days in a row with long hours, doing a lot of shelf-stacking, during a busy period when a nearby store had closed and the store was preparing for an international audit. She said this caused a nerve condition called radial tunnel syndrome that left her with ongoing arm pain. ALDI disputed both that she had the injury and that it had done anything wrong. The court preferred ALDI's evidence about how much stocking a store manager actually did, found Ms Hunt had exaggerated the time she spent stocking, and was not convinced she had the disabling condition she described - noting video footage of her lifting groceries and her ability to play netball. The judge also found ALDI had provided proper training and task rotation and had not breached its duty of care. The claim was dismissed.
Incident & injury
Alleged overuse injury to left arm from repetitive manual handling (shelf stocking) over a seven-day period of increased workload while a store manager
Read the findings as text
- Seven days of stocking. Alleged overuse injury.
- No breach of duty. Training and rotation given.
- Claim dismissed. [2024] QDC 15.
- Body regions
- Elbow, Left elbow (Left)
- Diagnoses
- radial tunnel syndrome (alleged), lateral epicondylitis
- Incident date
- 8 November 2019
- Location
- ALDI Cannon Hill store, Brisbane
Quick facts
- Date of judgment
- 20 February 2024
- Claim type
- WCRA Common Law
- Proceeding
- Trial
- Plaintiff outcome
- Unsuccessful
- Plaintiff age at injury
- 35
- Occupation
- Store manager at ALDI Cannon Hill store Manager
- Liability
- Disputed
- ISV assessed
- 6 · Item 103 (moderate elbow injury) / Item 104 (minor elbow injury)
- Whole Person Impairment
- 2%
- Total damages
- $0
Outcome
The plaintiff's claim was dismissed. The court was not satisfied she suffered the radial tunnel syndrome diagnosed by her expert or that any incapacity was caused by her employment, and held in any event that ALDI did not breach its duty of care. Quantum was assessed contingently in case the liability findings were wrong.
Defendant
1 ALDI Foods Pty Limited trading as ALDI
Employer
- Judgment against this defendant
- $0
Key issues
Hunt v ALDI Foods Pty Limited trading as ALDI [2024] QDC 15
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