![]() ![]() The company, however, has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, Kenton circuit court judge Patricia Summe said that Berling was able to perform the essential functions of his job with or without reasonable accommodations but suffered an adverse employment action because of that disability, The Guardian reported. The sacked worker then subsequently filed a lawsuit in Kenton County, seeking damages and compensation for lost income.Īfter the trial at the end of March, the jury awarded Berling $450,000, including $300,000 for emotional distress and $150,000 in lost wages. However, a few days later, he claimed to have received an email from the company “informing him that he was being terminated because of the events of the previous week”. Berling even apologised for having a panic attack. The meeting again triggered a second panic attack, after which the firm sent the lab technician home. The following day, Berling was “confronted and criticised” at a meeting and was accused of “stealing his co-workers joy” and “being a little girl”, the lawsuit claimed. He then quickly left the party, practised breathing exercises and finished his lunch in his car. The 29-year-old accused the company of bais as he had urged the office manager not to throw a birthday party for him when he first joined in 2018.ĭespite Berling's request, the company, which conducts COVID-19 tests, threw him a surprise party in August, triggering a panic attack. There’s a lesson here: take your anxious co-worker seriously when they say they do not want an office party.Kevin Berling, who was working as a lab technician at Gravity Diagnostics in Covington, claimed in his petition that the unwanted birthday party in 2019 gave him anxiety and panic attacks, BBC reported. Gravity Diagnostics believes that Berling violated a “workplace violence policy” and thus stands by the decision to fire him.īerling’s attorney argued that the office misunderstood Berling’s panicked response and assumed he was a threat, adding that “assuming that people with mental health issues are dangerous without any evidence of any violent behaviour is discriminatory”. His lawsuit alleged that the company discriminated against him because of a disability and unfairly retaliated against him for asking that his request be accommodated.Īfter all that, Berling has been granted $450 000 (around R6,6 million) in damages – $300 000 for emotional distress and $150 000 in lost wages. ![]() On 11 August, Gravity Diagnostics fired him, citing concerns about workplace safety. The tense meeting prompted a second panic attack, after which the company sent him home for the remainder of 8 August and 9 August. The lawsuit notes that Mr Berling was “confronted and criticised” at a meeting the following day (after he had a panic attack and swiftly left the office party), where he was accused of “stealing his co-workers joy” and “being a little girl”. The lawsuit alleges that the company discriminated against Berling because of his disability, reported BBC: He simply did not want the stress that comes with his colleagues lining up to shout celebrations as he struggles with severe anxiety and is prone to panic attacks that bring back difficult childhood memories.īut the company decided to cross that boundary anyway, and now they’re forced to pay a hefty sum thanks to a lawsuit filed against them by Berling. That’s why Kevin Berling asked his colleagues at Gravity Diagnostics (a Kentucky company that now conducts COVID-19 tests) not to throw him a surprise birthday party in 2019. Not everybody wants to celebrate their birthday with a surprise party in the office.īesides being occasionally awkward (if you don’t particularly know or like your co-workers), they can also be anxiety-inducing. The Dark Side Of New York’s Most Glam Strip Club Exposed In $25 Million Lawsuit.Chaos And Lies Exposed In Brooklyn Beckham And Nicola Peltz's Wedding Lawsuit. ![]() ![]() The Craziest Things Junior Doctors See In Hospitals.Buttered Bathroom, Detergent Hallways, Graffiti Walls Airbnb Host Shares Video Of Apartment Trashed By "Sick" Guests.What's The Beef Between Black Lives Matter And Adidas?. ![]()
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