Amanda Daughters, founder and former managing director of Aqua Financial Solutions, admitted at an earlier hearing to abusing a client in January 2010.
But at a hearing at a Croydon employment tribunal yesterday Daughters claimed the incident was used to oust her from the company after relations with her former boss, Carolyn Bennett, had broken down.
Clients claimed Daughters had already been drinking when she met with them, and proceeded to become “more inebriated”.
Daughters told the tribunal she had been forced onto benefits and prescribed anti-depressants after being unable to find work following the stress of being sacked, according to the Evening Standard.
Earlier former director Chris Jones, who bought drinks during the meeting, told the hearing Daughters had “brought the company into disrepute”.
But under cross-examination he admitted a “line had been drawn” under the client meeting before the alleged incident took place, and was therefore not on company business.
