No joke: American man gets $615k after suing company that threw him surprise birthday party

A man from Kentucky, US was awarded $615,000 (US$450,000) by a jury last month for lost wages and emotional distress, simply because he was fired after suffering a panic attack at his workplace over an unwanted birthday party.

Kevin Berling found himself in quite the predicament when his colleagues decided to throw him a surprise birthday party at work in 2019, one which ended up triggering his panic attacks instead. 

An employee at medical laboratory Gravity Diagnostics at that time, he had previously said no to birthday celebrations due to his anxiety disorder, reported CBS News.

However, the request had slipped the party organiser's mind, said the man's lawyer Tony Bucher.

Upon learning about the lunch-time celebration, Berling suffered a panic attack and went to his car to calm down. He also had his lunch there instead.

The following day, he had a meeting with two of his supervisors about the previous day's events where they allegedly "accused him of stealing other co-workers' joy", causing the man to suffer a second panic attack, reported local TV news outlet WKRC.

Berling was subsequently sent home for two days. 

He then received an email of his termination a few days later on the basis that he posed a threat to the safety of fellow employees, reported The New York Times. 

The company claimed that the man's coping mechanisms, described as him clenching his fists "up around his chest, sort of closed in, almost hugging himself", had scared his fellow workers and supervisors. 

"My employees were the victims in this case, not the plaintiff," said Ms Julie Brazil, founder and chief operating officer of Gravity Diagnostics. "They (supervisors) were absolutely in fear of physical harm during that moment."

Brazil added that the company puts their employees' safety first and "we have a zero-tolerance policy and we stand by our decision to terminate the plaintiff for his violation of our workplace violence policy".

The man later filed a lawsuit in Kentucky's Kenton County Circuit Court against Gravity Diagnostics for disability discrimination and retaliation, reported local TV station WLKY. 

He was awarded compensation of US$450,000 by a jury last month. That amount included "US$150,000 in lost wages and benefits and US$300,000 for suffering, embarrassment and loss of self-esteem", reported The New York Times.

Berling now has a new job at a school and his panic attacks have also gradually diminished since the 2019 incident. 

So if you're thinking of throwing your colleagues a birthday party, you might want to think again. Or at least check if they're cool with one in advance. 

estherlam@asiaone.com