LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A Kentucky jury awarded a man $ 450,000 for suing his boss after asking not to celebrate his birthday at work – and they did.
Kevin Burling told his manager at Gravity Diagnostics in Covington in 2019 that the birthday celebration would cause him extreme stress.
But the company ignored his request and Burling suffered a panic attack. The next day, Burling suffered another panic attack when her supervisor, according to the lawsuit, convicted her of “stealing an employee’s joy” and “being a woman.” Burling was released after the second attack.
Burling argued in his lawsuit that the company discriminated against him because of his disability and reacted by demanding a reasonable settlement.
The jury reversed the verdict after a two -day trial in Canton that ended in late March. The jury awarded him $ 300,000 for emotional distress and $ 150,000 for lost salary.
The company’s attorney, Catherine Kennedy, said it continues to deny liability and will continue to pursue additional lawsuit options.
Julie Brasilia, the company’s founder and chief operating officer, said in an e-mail statement to the newspaper that “with the growing incidence of workplace violence, this decision sets a very dangerous precedent for employers and, more importantly, employees who know Physical violence does not actually occur in the workplace. ” .
Brazil said they were its employees in the case and not the plaintiffs.
Burling’s attorney Tony Butcher said that after the jury met with his client, they realized the company’s claim he was a threat was far from over.
Burling told his supervisor that the birthday celebration would grind to bad memories when his parents divorced when he was a child. The company says the supervisor forgot to submit his request.
Source: Huffpost
