Employment Judge Joanne Dunlop recently delivered a partial victory for Benjamin Mendy in his legal battle against Manchester City over withheld wages during his suspension amid serious allegations.
Mendy, a former City defender, had filed a claim for over £11 million, arguing that the club made “unauthorized deductions” from his salary while he faced charges of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault. Ultimately, he was acquitted of all charges. At the Employment Tribunal last month, Judge Dunlop ruled that Mendy was entitled to recover some, but not all, of the wages he claimed.
Judge Dunlop stated, “I have concluded that Mr Mendy is entitled to recover some, but not all, of the sums claimed,” awarding him pay for periods when he was barred from playing due to restrictions outside his control, like FA suspension and bail terms. However, the judge sided with the club in withholding wages for times when Mendy was in custody for violating bail conditions.
The court heard that City continued paying Mendy’s £500k-a-month salary after his initial arrest in November 2020 but stopped payments in September 2021 once formal charges were filed. Mendy was later held in custody for five months before being released with strict bail restrictions and an FA ban on football activities. His contract with City expired in June 2023, and Mendy claimed that the club’s decision not to repay his withheld salary left him in severe financial strain, forcing him to sell his home to cover legal expenses, bills, and child support.
In court documents, Mendy expressed that he “struggled to pay child support” and felt “awful” due to financial constraints, sharing that his agent Meissa N’diaye and teammates Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez had lent him money to cover legal and family expenses. “Raheem, Bernardo, and Riyad all lent me money to help pay my legal fees and support my family,” Mendy stated.
Mendy also argued that the suspension from playing was due to “unproven allegations” and that, under his £6 million-per-year contract, City should not have withheld his pay. He felt he was unfairly singled out, noting that “other players, including the club captain” attended gatherings he hosted, yet only he was publicly reprimanded. “The difference between me and the other players is that I was the one falsely accused and humiliated,” he added.
City’s counsel, Sean Jones KC, contended that Mendy’s custody was “a consequence of his behavior” for violating bail and lockdown rules. He argued, “His behavior fell little short of demanding to be locked up.” Meanwhile, Nick De Marco KC, representing Mendy, criticized the club’s stance as a character “attack” and a “re-trial” of Mendy’s private life, arguing that Mendy had “already paid a very high price” for past mistakes.
After leaving Manchester City, Mendy signed with French second-division team Lorient in the summer.
