A café manager who was mockingly referred to as ‘Sofia Vergara’ by her boss and was ridiculed over her accent has been awarded nearly €4,000 in compensation for harassment.
Vedrana Miskic, who had been employed at the Cake Café in Dublin 8 for just over four weeks before being let go in May 2025, was also granted an additional €3,762 for separate breaches of employment law, reports The Mirror.
In her complaint against Aspenvale Limited, the company behind the café, Ms Miskic claimed that her employer, Giulio Takacs, repeatedly called her Sofia Vergara — the Colombian actress — and mocked the way she spoke.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) heard that she had been subjected to a disorganised working environment throughout her brief time at the café, including having to personally draft hazard analysis and food hygiene procedures to ensure the business could operate legally, reports The Mirror.
Ms Miskic told the hearing that she had worked hard to manage the owner’s disorganised approach. He had installed a CCTV camera with audio capabilities so he could keep tabs on staff and customers via his mobile phone, though this was later disabled following objections from staff.
Mr Takacs had also directed staff to take down Pride flags that had been displayed in the café by the previous owner, though he maintained this was solely because they were dirty and covered in flies, reports The Mirror.
Ms Miskic further claimed that the owner had tampered with WhatsApp messages to remove comments he found objectionable. WRC adjudication officer Catherine Byrne noted that Mr Takacs’ use of AI in his submission led her to believe this allegation was likely accurate.
He flatly denied all allegations of discrimination and racism, and contended that Ms Miskic had either walked out during a dispute on 17 May 2025, or had been lawfully dismissed due to a breakdown of trust, reports The Mirror.
In her ruling, Ms Byrne said she had found Ms Miskic to be a credible witness and Mr Takacs to be “less so.”
She found that the complainant had established the core facts — that her accent had been mocked by her employer — and that this conduct amounted to harassment under the Employment Equality Act, reports The Mirror.
She directed the respondent to pay Ms Miskic €3,762 for the harassment, equivalent to four weeks’ pay. A further €3,762 was awarded under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, as she had not been given a core written statement of her terms when she began work.
While Ms Byrne was satisfied that Ms Miskic had not voluntarily left her position and had been unfairly dismissed, she did not uphold the claim that the dismissal had been motivated by discrimination or by opposition to discrimination, reports The Mirror.
The total compensation awarded to Ms Miskic came to €7,524, reports The Mirror.
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