A $1.8 million negligence case by a retrenched contracts administrator against his former employer has been rejected by Victoria’s Supreme Court with the judge accepting that farting in the office is not bullying and just part of Australian humour.
Former employee David Hingst alleged his supervisor at Construction Engineering Australia in Melbourne repeatedly abused him, including by holding him down and farting on him.
He claimed it resulted in depression, anxiety and physical injuries, and claimed $1.8 million in damages as part of an unfair dismissal case.
Fond memories. Back in the early 70s I was on a survey crew for the construction of Hwy 417. I had gone out with friends one night and dined on pickled eggs, pickled cheese, and several quarts of Labbats 50.
ReplyDeleteThe next morning, our project superintendant was in a back corner of our survey shack that could only be accessed by going through a narrow opening between a bank of filing cabinets and a wall. I plugged the gap....and let all the pent-up gas escape.
"Lemmeeeoudahereyoufilthysonofabitch" he yelled. "you'refiredyourottennogoodbastard" at the top of his choking voice, as he tried, without success, to push me out of the way.
I didn't get fired, and I didn't get sued. But for the remainder of my employment, whenever he referred to me, it was "The rotten son-of-a-bitch"