US man wins $450k lawsuit after suing office for unwanted birthday party

Guwahati, April 20: A US man has won $450k (Rs 3 crore 45 lakh approximately) lawsuit against his workplace which terminated him because of suffering panic attacks due to an unwanted birthday party at office.

As per reports, Kevin Berling, an employee of Gravity Diagnostics in Kentucky who suffers from anxiety disorder received a surprise birthday party despite his warnings that it would trigger stress and anxiety.

Berling requested his former employer that the birthday party may result in panic attacks as it would bring back uncomfortable childhood memories.

However, the request was not paid heed to and the management threw Kevin a party as it does for all employees.

The incident took place back in 2019, during the party Berling immediately rushed to his car to calm down and ate his lunch there.

As mentioned in the lawsuit Berlin was called for a meeting the next day and was humiliated, which led to further panic attacks. Although he apologised for his actions he was terminated by the company citing workplace security concerns of the company.

The lawsuit also alleged that the company discriminated against Berling because of a disability and unfairly retaliated against him for asking that his request be accommodated.

Reports further said that after 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.

Meanwhile, the company stood by its decision to terminate Berling.