Calling their actions “deliberate” and “malicious,” Ontario’s top court has ordered a Mississauga polling and research firm to pay a former employee who was deaf more than $240,000 after she was fired back in 2011.

Applied Consumer and Clinical Evaluations Inc. (ACCE), a company made up of about 80 employees and located on Dunwin Drive, was ordered to pay more than what was originally ruled on June 30 after the employee in question, Vicky Strudwick, launched an appeal of the original decision.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled Strudwick, who worked in data entry and later with recruiting staff and had been with the company about 16 years before she was fired in 2011, underwent a litany of workplace abuse after she learned she was deaf in 2010.

The ruling names two ACCE employees, general manager Andrew Hoffman and supervisor Liz Camilleri, who orchestrated much of the ‘abuse.’

“Almost immediately after Ms. Strudwick became deaf, Mr. Hoffman, together with (Camilleri), commenced a campaign of abuse against Ms. Strudwick designed to force her resignation,” the Ontario Court of Appeal said in its ruling.

“…in addition to publicly belittling, harassing and isolating Ms. Strudwick in ways relating to her disability, (ACCE) not only denied Ms. Strudwick any accommodation of her disability but also took specific steps to increase the difficulties she faced as a result of her not being able to hear.”

ACCE president Raymond Berta said his company has made changes as a result of this case.

"ACCE has been in business as part of the Mississauga community for 30 years, with a solid track record of performance coupled with an inspiring corporate culture," he said. "This case occurred several years ago. As a good corporate citizen we have taken corrective action as reported and we have implemented procedures to prevent any reoccurrences."

The workplace abuse, according to the Ontario Court of Appeal decision, included purposely giving Strudwick instructions that prevented her from lip reading, calling her “stupid” and chastising her for not answering the telephone.

Strudwick was also asked to produce a doctor’s note indicating the precise cause of her hearing loss. But, because doctors were unable to identify the exact reason and blamed it on a virus, Camilleri accused Strudwick of being “too cheap” to produce a doctor’s note.