An NHS worker has been awarded $40,000 by a UK court after being compared to one of the most famous onscreen bad guys of all time. "Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting," Judge Kathryn Ramsden said in her ruling for Lorna Rooke, calling the label a "detriment"—meaning it caused Rooke harm or had an otherwise negative impact in the workplace, per the Guardian.
The hubbub began in August 2021, when Rooke, a training and practice supervisor, and her team took a Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs personality test as a team-building exercise. Rooke left the room to take a phone call, but a colleague, Amanda Harber, filled out the quiz for her—and then announced that Rooke's personality fell into the "Darth Vader" category. Rooke said the incident made her feel unpopular at work and sent her spiraling into anxiety and depression, per the BBC. She resigned a month later.
Although the Darth Vader designation was also described as being a "very focused individual who brings the team together," the judge didn't see it as a positive, noting there was "little wonder" why Rooke was distressed by it. The NHS worker won her case on the "detriment" angle, but she lost on her claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and other allegations. In a statement to the Independent, an agency rep responded to the judge's ruling, noting that "we acknowledge the outcome of the tribunal" and "are committed to maintaining and continually improving a respectful and inclusive workplace for all colleagues." (More Darth Vader stories.)
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