In the US, a person earned $450K for organizing a party to celebrate a co-worker’s birthday at work, even though he didn’t want to. The man, who said he had a panic attack due to unwanted attention, was fired from his job and later won $450,000 from his lawsuit against the company.
Kevin Berling, 29, was given a birthday party during lunch by his colleagues in August 2019.
Berling’s lawyer said executives began to have a hard time because of Berling’s reaction to his birthday celebrations, adding that “they accused Berlin of stealing the joy of his colleagues.” said.
Allegedly, when Berling first joined the company in 2018, he asked his manager not to organize a birthday party for him. However, the manager “forgot” Berling’s request. Berling, who had a panic attack during the fun at the office, ran to his car for an hour to get over it.
The next day, company bosses held a meeting with Berling to ask about his behavior. This event triggered a second panic attack.
Berling was fired from her job soon after. His bosses said they were “concerned about his anger and potential to attack” by Berling.
Berling missed out on being a part of the workplace’s rapid growth during the pandemic. According to the Independent’s report, some employees were given a 300% raise at that time.
Berling’s lawyer, who filed a compensation claim, said his client was unlikely to resort to violence, saying that during both panic attacks Berling “used coping techniques to calm herself”.
The court, which ruled against the company, ordered Berling to be paid $450 thousand.
Of that amount, $120,000 includes lost wages and benefits, $30,000 in future wages, and $300,000 includes “past, present, and future mental pain and suffering, mental anguish, shame, humiliation, humiliation, and loss of self-confidence,” according to the court’s order.