'Intrusive' Countess told housekeeper she must not get pregnant, tribunal told However, as we had no plans for another child at that time I agreed to this. More than four years went by before the housekeeper did fall pregnant. She was sacked shortly afterwards, working her last shift for the Countess in January this year. The tribunal in Reading, Berkshire, ruled that the Countess was "intrusive" when setting the house rules, which went beyond reasonable bounds. She was successfully sued for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal by the Polish-born housekeeper, who also brought a successful claim under the Wages Act. Ms Filipowsa, 36, was awarded a payout of £18,701. The tribunal heard Ms Filipowsa's days could start at 8am and not finish until 3am the following morning. The Countess had a busy schedule, particularly during the shooting season and in the summer, and was away from home two to three nights a week, the hearing was told. She also hosted parties at her home at which the housekeeper was allegedly expected to pitch in, as well as carrying out her normal duties. The Countess was said to have travelled abroad frequently to attend various functions and parties. "She is what can best be described as a socialite and has many famous friends," said Ms Filipowsa. I do not believe that it is appropriate to identify who these people are but it is fair to say she is friends with numerous high profile politicians, actors and other celebrities. I was expected to be ready and available for any task at the request of the respondent. The job morphed from being a housekeeper to an on-call housekeeper, nanny, taxi driver and came to involve Piotr, despite him never actually being employed by the respondent. The Countess, who was not present or represented at the hearing, claimed she was forced to make Ms Filipowski redundant after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and moving to her native Germany to be near her family and receive treatment. But employment judge Robin Lewis found that the conversations about pregnancy were intrusions on a "personal and intimate matter that are no concern of an employer." The tribunal also found that the pregnancy was a factor in Ms Filipowski's dismissal "to the extent it plainly annoyed and irritated (the Countess) that just when she needed her the most, the claimant wasn't going to be available to help her." Other factors that contributed were the Countess's "critical condition," uncertainty on a range of aspects over the future and her withdrawal from England, it ruled.