A High Court judge has ruled that a multimillionaire used car tycoon was fairly dismissed from his own company, rejecting his claim of unfair dismissal. Peter Waddell, 59, was ousted as CEO of Big Motoring World in 2024 after an internal investigation found he engaged in misconduct, including racist and sexist comments towards staff.
Mr. Waddell, who built an estimated £500 million fortune from a background as a homeless teenager, alleged his dismissal was part of a "planned coup" by investors. He sought reinstatement after being removed from his role at the company, which he co-founded and which is Britain's second-largest used car business.
The judge, Mr. Justice Marcus Smith, found that while the company pursued a deliberate process to remove Waddell, his dismissal was fair due to his misconduct. The judge noted that the company's misconduct process "comprehensively failed" and that many incidents were not initially part of the formal grievance process.
During a seven-week trial at the High Court in London, evidence presented detailed several alleged incidents. These included Waddell telling a female cleaner, "I bet you'd like to suck my d***," making comments about liking women "on their hands and knees," and ordering a colleague to fetch him a lemon meringue pie. He also reportedly referred to Hindus as "Hyundais."
Waddell's defense argued that his apparent shouting was due to his deafness and that he used nicknames to aid his memory due to dyslexia. His legal team contended that his dismissal was part of a carefully conceived plan by investors and company chairman, undisclosed to Waddell.
Conversely, counsel for Bluebell Cars, the holding company, described Waddell's leadership as running Big Motoring World as a "fiefdom," stating such behavior was "unacceptable in the leader of a 21st-century business."
The judge did acknowledge that there was an "unfair prejudice" to Waddell's holding company as the majority shareholder and that the company pursued a "deliberate process to remove Mr Waddell as CEO come what may."
Despite these findings, Mr. Justice Marcus Smith concluded that Waddell's conduct amounted to gross misconduct. While Waddell made claims of bullying and racial discrimination, the judge found that he did not bully an employee to the point of resignation. He also found that a comment about female staff's menstrual cycles did not constitute harassment. However, Waddell was found to have conducted "bullying and harassing conduct" with a "sexual element," including stroking a female employee's back and telling her, "you should be glad I am a married man."
The judge resisted the temptation to suggest Waddell should have received a warning instead of immediate dismissal, stating it was for the company to decide whether to accept Waddell's "repudiatory breach of contract."
A spokesperson for Waddell stated after the ruling that he would be returning to the board and intended to "take back control of his company."
Waddell's career trajectory included time as a homeless teenager in Glasgow before moving to London and becoming a taxi driver. He went on to build Big Motoring World, which sells approximately 60,000 vehicles annually and is valued at around £500 million, with ventures into property and haulage.
The consequences of the ruling for the company are to be decided at a later hearing.
