Lol. Lawsuit of a man who allegedly got fired for farting too much at work goes viral
Richard Clem's wife filed a lawsuit last
month against her Husband's former employer who allegedly fired him for
farting too much.
The 70-year-old man and his wife, Louann, both worked at Case
Pork Roll Company of Trenton, New Jersey. He was fired in February,
2014, for his supposed flatulence, according to court documents but she
just filed the lawsuit in September 2015.
Louann Clem claims in a court filing that her husband's termination was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Richard Clem supports the lawsuit and is taking legal action on his own through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
"When the suit was filed, I didn't know it would go viral," Clem told The Huffington Post. "I was very surprised."
Richard Clem started working at Case Pork Roll in 2004 as a comptroller and believes he did a good job.
"I brought them into the 21st century," he said proudly.
At the time of his hire, Clem weighed about
420 pounds, but underwent gastric bypass surgery in October 2010, to get
rid of his own porky belly. Clem
lost about 120 pounds before gaining back 10. He's also suffered some
embarrassing side effects, including "extreme gas and uncontrollable
diarrhea."
In 2013, Clem’s symptoms worsened, which caused “significant disruption in the workplace,” according to the suit.
Louann Clem, who began her job at Case Pork
Roll in 2008, said the company president Thomas Dolan repeatedly griped
about her husband's gassy problem.
The suit alleges Dolan made Richard Clem
work at home and said things like, "We cannot run an office and have
visitors with the odor in the office," and "Tell Rich we are having
complaints from people who have problems with the odors."
Richard Clem was fired from Case Pork Roll
on February 28, 2014, Louann Clem quit the same day “because of the
harassment and discrimination her husband faced as a result of his
disability and the resulting symptoms,” according to NJ1015.com.
The Clems' lawyer, David Koller, said his
client's gastrointestinal disorders may be getting headlines, but aren't
the key part of the case.
"Flatulence and farting is the sexy part of the story, but my client
suffers from obesity, which is covered by the Americans with
Disabilities Act," Koller said.
Louann Clem is seeking damages from Case Pork Roll that include pain and suffering, compensatory damages and punitive damages.
Richard Clem also wants company employees to go through training programs that will prevent future incidents from occurring.
"I'm speaking up for people who are overweight," he said. "Does being obese mean you can't do a good job? Of course not!"
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