Man Sues Over Unwanted Surprise Party Wins $450K
According to Fox 13 News, a Kentucky man has successfully sued his former employer for throwing him a surprise birthday party. In August 2019Kevin Berling says he made it clear to everyone at Gravity Diagnostics that he didn’t want a birthday party. Yet his request was ignored, and Berling claims when he heard his coworkers break into “Happy Birthday,” he suffered a panic attack. To make matters worse, he says he was “confronted and attacked” by his boss the next day for leaving the party.
According to Berling’s lawsuit, the “confrontation triggered another panic attack.” He was fired the following week. Now Berling has had the last laugh. A jury on Monday awarded him $450,000, which includes $120,000 for lost wages and $300,000 for “mental pain and suffering, mental anguish, embarrassment, humiliation, mortification, and loss of self-esteem.”
I have suffered from Panic attacks my whole life. I know that seems strange being in the profession I am in. I have learned to deal with them, but they are very real for the person experiencing the attack. I use the acronym FEAR to get through my episodes. False Evidence that Appears Real. It seems to help.
