The two-month old Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has brought its first case to court - and won.

Formed with the object of eliminating discrimination against disabled people, the DRC helped to pay the legal costs in the Court of Appeal of an ex-employee of Lambeth Borough Council in a case brought against the council for unfair dismissal under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.At first instance an employment tribunal found that the respondent, represented by London firm Copley Clark & Bennett, was not disabled as defined by the Act.

An employment appeal tribunal subsequently reversed this decision.

Lambeth council challenged this finding in the Court of Appeal, which decided last week that the appeal tribunal was correct to review the facts of the case, rather than confine itself to questions of law.DRC chairman Bert Massie said: 'This is a clear signal of the DRC's resolve to combat discrimination.

It reminds employers that discrimination against people with mental illness is unacceptable.'Jeremy Fleming