A Guy Who Didn't Want A Work Birthday Party Just Won $450K After They Threw Him One Anyway
It gave him a panic attack 😱
Person blowing on a cake's candles at an office birthday.
If your co-worker told you he doesn't want a birthday party, would you throw him one anyway?
A Kentucky man has been awarded US$450,000 in a lawsuit against his former employer, after he specifically told them not to throw him a party.
His boss threw the party anyway, then called him a "little girl" for being upset afterward, and later fired him, according to reports.
The plaintiff, Kevin Berling, was working at Gravity Diagnostics in Kentucky when his birthday rolled around in August 2019, according to The Guardian.
With his birthday just around the corner, he told his manager that a party would bring back bad memories of his parents' divorce, so he asked that they not celebrate his big day in the office, reported CBS. He also explained to his supervisor that he suffers from anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and the occasion would trigger his stress levels.
Court documents say Berling's manager forgot about his request and went ahead with the party, much to Berling's surprise. The situation caused him a panic attack, and he went to spend the lunch hour in his car.
The next day, Berling was called into a meeting to discuss the incident. His supervisor allegedly told him he was "stealing his co-workers' joy" and that he was behaving like a "little girl," CBS reported. That triggered another panic attack, and Berling was ultimately sent home and terminated amid fears that he might get angry and violent.
He later sued the company over the incident.
A jury sided with Berling in the case and awarded him $450,000 in damages, although Gravity can still appeal the ruling.
Gravity COO Julie Brazil said the ruling sets a dangerous precedent where the risk of physical violence is involved.
"As an employer who puts our employee safety first, we have a zero-tolerance policy and we stand by our decision to terminate the plaintiff for his violation of our workplace violence policy," she told Link NY. "My employees were the victims in this case, not the plaintiff."
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.