A Kentucky man named Kevin Berling was adamant that his office NOT throw him a birthday party.
Berling suffers from anxiety, so when his birthday was approaching back in 2019, he went to his then-employer at Gravity Diagnostics asking them not to throw him a party as it could potentially trigger a panic attack.
Well, the company ignored his requests, and threw him a birthday party at lunchtime anyway.
Berling understandably was upset, and the party triggered a panic attack forcing Berling to eat lunch in his car. His bosses then confronted him about his reaction, which led to another panic attack and resulted in his termination from Gravity Diagnostics just a few days later!
Berling sued the company, and a judge just awarded him $450,000, $150,000 for lost pay, and $300,000 for emotional distress ruling that Berling suffered an "adverse employment action" because of his anxiety.
Gravity Diagnostics stands by their decision to fire Berling though, according to WCPO. The company said that he became unstable, and they were protecting other employees in the event he got violent.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
