Office Birthday Party gone wrong (1 Viewer)

[Optimus Prime]

Why would the company do this?

Did they not believe him, think he was joking or just didn’t care?

or think it would be funny to trigger a panic attack?
=================

A Kentucky man took his employer to court after they threw him a birthday party he didn't want, and the jurors sided with him.

Now, his employer owes him $450,000.

The verdict was handed down this week in Kenton County Circuit Court in Northern Kentucky. The plaintiff, an employee of Gravity Diagnostics, sued his employer after he was fired following a birthday party they threw for him in August.

According to court documents, the employee had notified the office manager that birthday parties trigger his anxiety disorder, and that "being the center of attention" will cause him to have a panic attack.

The employee asked the office manager days before his birthday in August to not arrange a birthday celebration as they did for other employees.

Then on Aug. 7, the employee's birthday, the office arranged for a lunchtime birthday party in the lunch room, according to the lawsuit.

The employee said that he found out about the party as he was headed to his lunch break, which triggered a panic attack.

The incident caused the employee to "leave the office suddenly and spend his lunch break in his car."

The employee sent a text message to the office manager, asking why she failed to accommodate his request to not have a party.

The employee sent a text message to the office manager, asking why she failed to accommodate his request to not have a party.

The next day, the employee was called into a meeting, in which he said that he was "confronted and criticized" by the office manager about his reaction to the birthday party.

That meeting then triggered another panic attack, and the employee asked the office manager to stop, according to the lawsuit.

The employee was then sent home for the next two days, and that weekend, he was notified that he was being fired "because of the events of the previous week."…….

Kentucky man sues employer for throwing him birthday party, and now they owe him $450K

A Kentucky man took his employer to court after they threw him a birthday party he didn't want, and the jurors sided with him, awarding him $450,000 in damages.

www.wlky.com

 

[kizzy821]

I'm still traumatized over the graduation party my old job threw for me. I hate sheet like that. If someone asks you not to do it and you still proceed, the party is for YOU, not them.

 

[Eeyore]

Why would the company do this?

Did they not believe him, think he was joking or just didn’t care?

or think it would be funny to trigger a panic attack?
=================

A Kentucky man took his employer to court after they threw him a birthday party he didn't want, and the jurors sided with him.

Now, his employer owes him $450,000.

The verdict was handed down this week in Kenton County Circuit Court in Northern Kentucky. The plaintiff, an employee of Gravity Diagnostics, sued his employer after he was fired following a birthday party they threw for him in August.

According to court documents, the employee had notified the office manager that birthday parties trigger his anxiety disorder, and that "being the center of attention" will cause him to have a panic attack.

The employee asked the office manager days before his birthday in August to not arrange a birthday celebration as they did for other employees.

Then on Aug. 7, the employee's birthday, the office arranged for a lunchtime birthday party in the lunch room, according to the lawsuit.

The employee said that he found out about the party as he was headed to his lunch break, which triggered a panic attack.

The incident caused the employee to "leave the office suddenly and spend his lunch break in his car."

The employee sent a text message to the office manager, asking why she failed to accommodate his request to not have a party.

The employee sent a text message to the office manager, asking why she failed to accommodate his request to not have a party.

The next day, the employee was called into a meeting, in which he said that he was "confronted and criticized" by the office manager about his reaction to the birthday party.

That meeting then triggered another panic attack, and the employee asked the office manager to stop, according to the lawsuit.

The employee was then sent home for the next two days, and that weekend, he was notified that he was being fired "because of the events of the previous week."…….

Kentucky man sues employer for throwing him birthday party, and now they owe him $450K

A Kentucky man took his employer to court after they threw him a birthday party he didn't want, and the jurors sided with him, awarding him $450,000 in damages.

www.wlky.com

I would absolutely hate that

 

[Optimus Prime]

I'm still traumatized over the graduation party my old job threw for me. I hate sheet like that. If someone asks you not to do it and you still proceed, the party is for YOU, not them.

its probably one if those “she’s just saying that, she’ll hate it for the first minute or two then she’ll have the time of her life”

 

[soupcan dan]

my anxiety level at parties decreases as the number of strippers increases.

 

[Super44]

Some managers, and or employers, just do not get it. Well deserved verdict.

 

[Poison]

No issues with the verdict at all. The fact that employer was specifically on notice of the employee’s disability, threw the party anyway and then terminated the employment because of his reaction - it’s hard to imagine more unreasonable conduct or aggravated circumstances.

Mind you, 450k is a huge sum of money, especially if he can find alternative employment at a similar rate of pay (meaning the loss is predominately “non-economic”). The article does indicate that $150k of the overall damages were awarded as lost wages - I would love to know if there was a finding he has a reduced earning capacity in future, if he’s been out of work for an extended period or he was just a well-paid employee.

I’ve got a client who was sexually assaulted in the workplace by a senior executive and she has limited prospects of returning to full-time work in the foreseeable future in Australia. She won’t get $450,000USD. Interesting insight into how different jurisdictions put a price on compensation for harm.

 

[Sun Wukong]

I don't like birthdays. I don't celebrate them. I find them depressing and I do not like being the center of attention ever. Thankfully just about every place I've ever worked has accommodated me when I've asked not to do anything. I totally understand where this guy is coming from.

 

[DaveXA]

I don't like birthdays. I don't celebrate them. I find them depressing and I do not like being ghr center of attention ever. Thankfully just about every place I've ever worked has accommodated me when I've asked not to do anything. I totally understand where this guy is coming from.

My wife is like this. She hates her birthdays. For her, we just do a small family thing at home. She doesn't mind throwing a party for me or the kids, just not her.

 

[Paul]

“We listen to our employees, dammit!”

 

[HoustonSaint68]

my anxiety level at parties decreases as the number of strippers increases.

Rather non-sequitur of me but this comment reminds me of a story: many, many years ago (35-ish???) I was having lunch at some bar/pool room place and Ron Swoboda was there at another table with some other guys (this is back when he was still sportscaster on TV and obviously well before cellphone video).

Anyway, they start singing Happy Birthday (I think to him) and then a stripper comes out and starts dancing for their table. Swoboda gets up with a sort of aggravated look and walks out the place. I was like “Wow, what a prude“ while I sat there (with my girlfriend/now-wife) and enjoyed the free show.

Who knew Ron Swoboda was so ahead of his time???

 

[SWJJ]

I wonder how that lawsuit would have faired in Louisiana. Kentucky is an at will state as well. I guess given the reasoning as "because of the events of the previous week." is probably what got the ruling. I bet if they just said "work performance" or "other" she would not have won the lawsuit.


Management that thinks employees must submit to their every whim as if they are some serf and the manager is a lord of some sort is so rampant in all of the worst places I have ever worked.

To summarize Marcus Buckingham, people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.
Glad they got sued!