THE millionaire manager of the pop group Wet Wet Wet has been cleared of any ''erratic behaviour'' which would have entitled his former personal assistant to walk out and quit her job.
An industrial tribunal which heard evidence in Glasgow this week yesterday issued an advance notice ruling that Mr Elliot Davis's former assistant, Ms Maggi Meehan, 30, was not constructively and unfairly dismissed by Mr Davis's company, the Precious Organisation.
The company later issued a statement saying it had been cleared by the tribunal. ''Certainly this is the result the company and solicitor Stephen Miller expected.''
Mr Davis, a director of the Precious Organisation, told the tribunal earlier this week that Ms Meehan had been the best personal assistant he had ever had, but she came to work smelling of drink and got ''embarrassingly drunk'' at functions.
Ms Meehan had claimed compensation for constructive dismissal. During evidence it was claimed that Mr Davis screamed, shouted, and swore at staff, threw a handbag and a phone at his general manager, ordered the bookkeeper to phone his cat and ask if it wanted to go to the vet, and ordered staff to clean the toilet, vacuum the carpet, and tend to his cat.
Ms Meehan was not available for comment at her home in Glasgow yesterday.
The tribunal will issue its full written reasons later.
Mr Davis said last night: ''I do talk to cats but I am not mad.'' He added: ''I am pleased at the tribunal's decision but I don't think there are any winners in such a scenario.
''As I already stated I think Maggi is trustworthy and dedicated. Up until this case came to court I would willingly have given her a job.
''The tribunal result proves that her case was the product of an over-fertile imagination perhaps better suited to her new career at a newspaper. It is not a good thing to use as an attack against a former boss.''
He emphasised that he did not throw a telephone or a handbag at his former general manager, Ann Watson, and said she confirmed this in her evidence.
During the tribunal Mr Davis admitted that he shouted and swore, saying it was part of the company framework. He admitted knocking a phone off his desk in anger, but denied he threw things at staff or asked them to vacuum the carpet or clean the toilet.
He said last night: ''I certainly do talk to cats. I would be shocked and disappointed if a cat lover didn't. But I am not mad. I certainly didn't ask someone to phone the cat. I would say if you don't talk to cats you must be mad.
''I don't feel victorious. I feel sorry for Maggi. Maybe she wanted to embarrass me.''
He said she rejected numerous offers to settle the case to save her embarrassment.
''The fact that the case came to a tribunal in the first place is a massive flaw in the system. The fact that a woman can bring such a flimsy case at public expense is not right. I am having to pay expenses even though I won. It cost me thousands defending my good name. She got off scot-free financially.''
Mr Davis said in evidence he had to speak to Ms Meehan about her drinking, her temper, her arrogance, her shouting and swearing at colleagues, and coming in late smelling of alcohol. He also claimed she ''disgraced the company'' at a function where she was so drunk she fell over and was abusive to other guests.
''I think she thought she was getting her jotters but that was not the case, and she was told we would help and support her to alleviate her alcohol problem.'' He was angry when Ms Meehan went behind his back to try and get the tour manager's job with one of his bands, Schino, and he told her she didn't have the particular talents needed for the job, partly because of her drinking.
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