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An employee's evidence about the ongoing impacts of experiencing workplace harassment was so "tainted by [her] lies" that she couldn't pass the first hurdle in her psych injury damages claim.

The employee lied in a sworn affidavit, during her oral evidence, in medical certificate statutory declarations, and at the very least misled her doctor and psychiatrist, Victorian County Court Judge David Purcell accepted, ruling she'd failed to meet the onus of proving she'd suffered a "serious injury".

The Juicy Car Rentals customer service assistant had sought leave to claim damages for pain and suffering, and pecuniary loss, related to a "permanent severe mental or permanent severe behavioural disturbance or disorder".

The Court heard that in July and August 2023, a colleague: asked the employee whether she used drugs; made inappropriate comments about a social outing; touched her inappropriately when they were in a car together; and spoke aggressively towards her.

The employee reported the first three incidents to the employer after they occurred and, following the last event, she took sick leave and later made a statement to police...