A Kentucky man was recently awarded almost half-a-million dollars after a jury agreed that his employer had discriminated against him due to a disability. The ruling does not establish new law, and the damages are not excessive when compared to similar claims, but it does act as a timely reminder for employers to take workplace mental-health support seriously.

Kevin Berling, who suffers from anxiety disorders and panic attacks, informed his manager at Gravity Diagnostics in early 2019 that the company’s norm of celebrating staff birthdays could trigger his condition.