A Kentucky man has successfully sued his former employer for throwing him a surprise birthday party.
Kevin Berling says he made it clear to everyone at Gravity Diagnostics, a medical lab, that he didn't want a birthday party in August 2019. 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."