Dry Cleaner Owner Ordered to Pay $20,000 After Sending Abusive Email to Sacked Employee
A business owner's vindictive email, sent just days before an unfair dismissal hearing, resulted in a significant compensation order.
A dry cleaning business owner has been ordered to pay $20,000 in compensation to a former employee after sending her a vitriolic email following her dismissal. Demetrius Kamakaris, owner of Stafford Dry Cleaner, sent the extraordinary message to Carla Gleeson just days before she was due to present her case for unfair dismissal to the Fair Work Commission.
In the email, Kamakaris reportedly told Gleeson that she would be "broke," "miserable," and destined for a "dark and lonely life." He also invoked divine punishment, stating, "God punishes bad people."
Gleeson had worked at the Stafford Dry Cleaner for more than three years before the business changed hands in early October 2025, with Kamakaris taking over ownership. Despite her tenure, she was subsequently sacked.
Kamakaris's aggressive communication, however, backfired. He subsequently failed to appear at the final hearing for Gleeson's unfair dismissal case. The Fair Work Commission, considering the circumstances and the abusive email, ruled in favor of Gleeson, ordering Kamakaris to pay her $20,000 in compensation.