An employee wins $450,000 after his company celebrates his birthday against his will

A Kentucky man has been awarded $450,000 by a US court, after he sued his former company, alleging that he was fired for being “outraged” that she threw a surprise birthday party against his will.
Kevin Burling suffers from anxiety disorder that causes him to have panic attacks, according to Kenton County court files obtained by WKRC-TV, according to the American “Insider” website.
In August 2019, he told his superiors at the Gravity Diagnostics Medical Laboratory in Covington, Kentucky, that he did not want to celebrate his birthday, and the lawsuit says that despite warning them, they threw him a surprise party.
The director of the Gravity Diagnostics office admitted that he forgot that Kevin Burling had informed that he did not want to celebrate his birthday, and that at his lunch party on August 7, Burling had a panic attack, and fled the scene to his car, according to the lawsuit. .
The lawsuit said that the following day, Burling’s bosses “confronted and criticized” him for his reaction to his lunchtime celebration, which sparked yet another panic attack in Berling.
The lawsuit stressed that “being the center of attention is a source of great pressure” for Kevin Burling.
After meeting with his superiors, Berling worked from home for the rest of the week, and days later he was fired “due to the events of the previous week,” according to the lawsuit.
After his dismissal, Kevin Burling sued his company, Gravity Diagnostics, for disability discrimination and retaliation, arguing that he “suffered and continues to suffer loss of income and benefits, emotional distress and mental anxiety”.
Although Berling won $450,000 in court, his former company still had the opportunity to appeal the judge’s decision, awarding him damages.