German Apprentice Ordered to Pay €25,000 After Throwing Tool at Colleague
Published on 07/18/2026 at 05:31 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A German apprentice faces a €25,000 damages bill after hurling a heavy weight at a co-worker, causing lasting vision damage. The ruling by the Frankfurt am Main Regional Labour Court underscores that violent acts between colleagues can strip away the usual legal protections that shield employees from personal liability at work.
Because the attack was a private, not work-related, act, the standard statutory exemption from liability in employment relationships did not apply. The apprentice must personally cover the full sum. The case landed in court after the victim suffered permanent visual impairment from the thrown object.
Workplace violence has also led to swift dismissals. The Krefeld Labour Court (case 2 Ca 2010/12) upheld the immediate firing of a foreman who tossed a firecracker into a portable toilet where a colleague was sitting. Despite 15 years of service, the court ruled the physical assault outweighed any loyalty built up over time. No prior warning was required under § 626 of the German Civil Code (BGB) because the trust between employer and employee had been shattered.
On the data-protection front, a separate ruling by the Siegburg Labour Court on 22 May 2026 (case 1 Ca 1741/25) awarded €1,000 in damages to an employee whose health diagnoses were shared without permission in a work WhatsApp group. The court found the disclosure violated the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Timing traps for employers
Employers must also watch their step procedurally. The Lower Saxony Regional Labour Court (case 8 SLa 894/25) ruled on 29 April 2026 that a dismissal based on alleged procedural fraud was invalid. The employer had already issued a warning for the same behaviour, and the court considered the accusation "consumed." Simply denying allegations in a pending lawsuit, the judges stressed, constitutes the exercise of a defence right, not a fresh breach of duty.
For employees hit with a notice of termination – as happened to roughly 100 staff of the insolvent chocolate maker DreiMeister after insolvency proceedings opened on 1 July 2026 – strict deadlines apply. A lawsuit must be filed within three weeks. Anyone hoping for a severance payment must submit a motion to dissolve the employment relationship before the unfair-dismissal hearing concludes. The Rhineland-Palatinate Regional Labour Court (case 4 SLa 108/25) made clear that later applications are too late.
Tougher rules from day one on the horizon
A mid-July 2026 expert hearing outlined planned changes to German labour law that could tighten obligations from the very start of an employment relationship. The key proposals include:
- Employers may demand a doctor's note from the first day of sick leave, not just after three days as currently
- Fixed-term contracts without a factual reason could be extended to up to 48 months
- Terminating the contracts of high earners would be made easier
Legal experts advise companies to review their absence-management and data-protection procedures now. Acting too late, they warn, risks costly mistakes – and ultimately being on the losing side in court.
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