# A woman is taking legal action against a company that paid her for 20 years despite not assigning her any work

> Laurence Van Wassenhove, a former employee of Orange, formerly France-Télécom, is suing the company for discrimination and harassment despite receiving full pay for 20 years without working. Employed as an HR assistant,…

Published: 2026-09-16 · Desk: World · Source: The Sun

Laurence Van Wassenhove, a former employee of Orange, formerly France-Télécom, is suing the company for discrimination and harassment despite receiving full pay for 20 years without working. Employed as an HR assistant, Laurence suffers from severe health issues, including epilepsy and hemiplegia, which hinder her ability to work. Despite efforts by Orange to accommodate her with a secretary position, she faced difficulties and requested a transfer in 2002. This marked the beginning of a prolonged period where she was placed on standby and then sick leave, ultimately leading to retirement due to her disability. Despite being paid, Laurence claims she struggled financially and faced eviction, expressing distress over being excluded from work despite receiving full salary.

Original reporting: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/28564314/i-was-ordered-to-do-no-work-im-suing/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2rEtXDr7ZIii5biXKpNIGdFnt_FMSzRihj4Af18AX9cg-BAP0fQwqzGOQ_aem_G0sMqRsVQpZQiZMkUNEWwQ
HTML: https://tezzfeed.com/international-news/a-woman-is-taking-legal-action-against-a-company-that-paid-her-for-20-years-despite-not-assigning-her-any-work-1719049660495
Bangladesh desk: https://tezzfeed.com/bangladeshi-news.md
Agent map: https://tezzfeed.com/llms.txt