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Back in 2019, a man in Kentucky named Kevin Berling asked his then-employer Gravity Diagnostics not to celebrate his birthday because he said he has an anxiety disorder, and it would trigger a panic attack.
The company ignored him, and threw a party for him over lunchtime anyway. Naturally he got VERY upset. He did have a panic attack . . . and left to have lunch in his car. The higher-ups confronted him about his reaction . . . he freaked out again . . . and a few days later they FIRED HIM.
Kevin sued the company, and now, a jury has just awarded him $450,000 . . . $150,000 for lost pay, and $300,000 for emotional distress . . . deciding that he suffered an "adverse employment action" because of his anxiety disability.
For the record, the company stands by the firing, claiming that Kevin became unstable, and they were protecting other employees in the event he got violent.