Let Someone Else Eat Cake

A birthday party for an employee at Gravity Diagnostics in Kentucky cost the company $450,000, but it wasn't an expensive cake and decorations that ran up the bill, WLKY-TV reported. The employee, whose birthday fell on Aug. 7, asked the office manager days before to forgo the usual celebration because such affairs trigger his anxiety disorder, and "being the center of attention" would cause him to suffer a panic attack. However, the manager went ahead with planning a lunchtime to-do in the break room, which caused the guest of honor to flee to his car to eat his lunch.

The next day, the birthday boy was called into a meeting and scolded for his reaction and was later fired "because of the events of the previous week," according to a lawsuit he filed against the company. In the suit, the former employee said the company didn't accommodate his anxiety disorder and caused him to suffer a "loss of income and benefits and emotional distress and mental anxiety." The Kenton County jury agreed and awarded him the six-figure amount.