BBC Radio 4's Law in Action was broadcast on Tuesday, 27 June, 2006 at 1600 BST.

A glowing reference is something we expect, or at least hope for, when leaving one employer for another.

But what if your old bosses are less laudatory than you think they should be?

A recent Court of Appeal ruling decided in favour of a top woman banker who claimed her former employer provided unfounded negative references after she left the company. Before she left, she had accused her employer of financial impropriety. Prior to the ruling, protection against victimisation by former employers only extended to discrimination cases, such as those based on race or religion, and not non-discriminatory actions such as giving a bad reference. Law in Action looks into the ramifications of this new ruling.

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