French employment law -Workplace romance: Unlawful dismissal of a Chanel internal auditor for failing to inform his employer of his relationship with a former employee (cass soc. , 10/12/2025, No. 24-17.316)

An internal auditor at Chanel was dismissed for deliberately concealing, firstly, from his employer the fact that he was in a relationship with Ms. [T], and secondly, from his team, that she was a former Chanel employee, falsely stating that she had previously worked for Hermès and then implying to a female employee, to whom he had confided, that he did not want this to become public knowledge.

The Versailles Court of Appeal had upheld the dismissal.

Following the employee's appeal, the French Supreme Court overturned the Versailles Court of Appeal's decision (French Supreme Court, 10 December 2025, No. 24-17.316). - With reference to Article 2 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of August 26, 1789, Article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 9 of the Civil Code, and Articles L1121-1, L1331-1, L1232-1, and L1235-1 of the Labor Code, the Court of Cassation affirms that a reason stemming from an employee's personal life cannot, in principle, justify disciplinary dismissal, unless it constitutes a breach by the employee of an obligation arising from their employment contract.

Employees have the right to respect for their private life, even at work and during working hours.

Therefore, employers cannot, without violating this fundamental freedom, compel their employees to disclose information about their family situation.

The judgment of the Versailles Court of Appeal, which dismissed the employee's claim for annulment of his dismissal for violation of his right to respect for his private life, must be overturned. The employee was dismissed for concealing from his employer and his team the fact that he was in a relationship with a former employee of the company. The judgment failed to establish that his marital status was related to his duties and likely to influence their performance to the detriment of the company's interests. The existence of a legal dispute between his wife, a former employee of the company, and the employer was insufficient to establish a conflict of interest as defined by the company's policy. Consequently, the employee was not obligated to inform his employer of his marital status, regardless of any clause in his employment contract requiring him to disclose any changes in his family situation. This is what the Court of Cassation affirms in a ruling dated December 10, 2025 (24-17.316), published in the official bulletin.

This decision should be upheld.

To read the full article, click on the link below.

https://www.village-justice.com/articles/amour-travail-licenciement-nul-auditeur-chanel-qui-pas-informe-son-employeur,55546.html

Sources.

Cour de cassation 10 décembre 2025, n° 24-17.316
Amour au boulot - Directeur des partenariats qui a un comportement insistant envers une collègue = licenciement pour faute grave
Amour au travail : est-ce risqué pour les salariés ?
Dissimulation par un directeur de sa relation amoureuse avec une représentante syndicale = faute grave.

Frédéric CHHUM avocat et ancien membre du conseil de l’ordre des avocats de Paris (mandat 2019-2021)

CHHUM AVOCATS (Paris, Nantes, Lille)

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