Surprise! A Kentucky man was rewarded with $ 450,000 after his colleagues threw a birthday party in the office against his will.
Kevin Berling, 29, was working as a laboratory assistant at Gravity Diagnostics in Covington when his colleagues held a luncheon party in August 2019.
Berling said he subsequently suffered a panic attack from unwanted attention and was soon fired by Gravity Diagnostics. He later filed a lawsuit for compensation against the company, according to legal documents seen by The Post.
“Managers are starting to make it difficult for him to react to the birthday celebrations,” Berling’s lawyer, Tony Butcher, told local television station WKRC. “They actually accused him of stealing the joy of his colleagues.”
Berling is said to have asked the office manager not to throw a birthday party for him when he first joined the company in 2018.
However, the manager later “forgot” his request and the celebrations in the office continued, causing a panic attack on Berling. He was forced to flee to his car, where he spent an hour trying to recover.
The next day, company bosses met with Berling to ask about his behavior. This incident caused a second panic attack.
Berling was fired from Gravity Diagnostics less than a week later, with bosses saying they were “worried he’s angry and likely to be violent.”
Subsequently, the laboratory assistant failed to be part of the rapid growth of Gravity Diagnostic, which occurred during the Covid pandemic. At the time, some employees received promotions of 300%, the Independent reported.
The fired worker later filed a lawsuit in Kenton County seeking damages and lost income compensation.
Butcher told WKRC that there was no chance of his client becoming violent, saying he was simply “using coping techniques to calm down” during his two panic attacks.
The $ 450,000 agreement includes $ 120,000 in lost wages and benefits, $ 30,000 in future salaries and $ 300,000 for “past, present and future mental pain and suffering, mental pain, embarrassment, humiliation, humiliation and loss of self-esteem,” according to the decision. court in favor of Berling.Getty Images
On Friday, a 12-member jury unanimously sentenced Berling to $ 450,000 against the company.
The amount includes $ 120,000 for lost wages and benefits, $ 30,000 for future salaries and $ 300,000 for “past, present and future mental pain and suffering, mental pain, embarrassment, humiliation, humiliation and loss of self-esteem,” according to a court ruling. in favor of Berling.
Gravity Diagnostics may now appeal the decision, but it is unclear whether they plan to do so. The post sought comment.
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