A female legal worker saw a 'dream job' and a chance of a posting in New York with a City of London finance house scuppered by sexist bosses, a tribunal was told.

Sally Tucker, of Palmeira Square, Hove, joined Fuji Capital Markets (UK) Ltd in 1996 as an associate in the legal department.

She was responsible for negotiating trading agreements and giving advice to traders while reporting to the head of the New York office.

She is claiming she was the victim of sex discrimination and breach of contract at the start of a five-day case at Stratford Employment Tribunal, East London.

The tribunal heard when she flew out to New York on an expatriate scheme, director Gregg Rapaport ordered her to sit outside his office as if she was the secretary, having to answer his phone and take messages.

Ms Tucker told the tribunal: "On my first day Mr Doug Frankel informed me that Mr Rapaport hoped that I was going to resign rather than move to New York.

"This was not an auspicious start for me and I was somewhat taken aback that Mr Rapaport was surprised that I had come, and thought I would resign instead. This made no sense to me."

Mr Rapaport barely spoke to her when he entered or left the office.

Mr Frankel also told her: "I should be wary as Mr Rapaport took a dim view of women with strong opinions."

She had managed to spot a New York apartment for rent which was "much better than I expected to be able to afford".

But Mr Frankel put the deal in jeopardy when he did not send on documentation required by the managing agent.

Ms Tucker said: "The managing agent told me Mr Frankel had been difficult to deal with and that if they did not receive the requested documentation I would lose the apartment, I was very disheartened.

"When I reported this to Mr Frankel he told me that he would not provide what they wanted because he considered it was not essential."

She was stunned in May last year when another colleague approached her desk and dropped an envelope on it, "making no attempt to converse". On opening it, she found "a term-ination memo" to sign.

A series of incidents followed at work where she felt "humiliated" and culminated in one of her bosses "suggesting in effect that my role was little more than that of a secretary".

In September last year she finally handed in her resignation and was escorted off the premises.

The trial continues.