Last Laugh? Not for NY Taxpayers

January 31, 2012 3 Comments

Remember this 2/15/11 story in The New York Post: “My Boss’s Voice Made Me Vomit!”

New York Housing Authority Superintendent Anthony Dingles sued the New York City Housing Authority and his boss, Demetrice Gadson. Dingles alleged Gadson began a campaign of constant verbal attack after he complained to higher ups about her poor management techniques. As a result, he said he literally became sick when heard her voice. He said the stress forced him to get medication for his stomach and intestinal system, inflamed his bleeding prostrate and he was so beaten down emotionally that he began therapy.

The New York Post’s web blog subsequently carried mocking comments: “He’s obviously not married, or he’d be used to it,” and “Where are the Sopranos when you need them?”  The Post gave the incident its annual Golden Stapler “As the Stomach Turns” award.

First the good news (at least for victims of workplace abuse).

After a nine day trial, a federal jury in New York concluded in December that Gadson violated the Dingles civil rights by filing frivolous disciplinary charges against him in retaliation for complaints that were protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Now the not so good news (at least for Dingles).

The jury awarded Dingles “nominal” damages of $1.

BUT from an employer’s perspective even that small amount is a disaster because it entitles the attorneys who represented Dingles, Bennitta Joseph and Alexander Coleman, to attorney fees from the city.  Such fees could reach up to $450,000.  And this doesn’t take into account what the city paid to defend Gadson, as well as all of the lost work time, absenteeism, increased health costs, etc.

Of course, the taxpayers of New York City ultimately will pay the bill.  (The New York Senate passed a workplace anti-bully bill in 2010 but it subsequently died in the House.)

Meanwhile, Dingles, who still works for the housing authority, succeeded in protecting his job and no longer is supervised by Gadson.  Which is not a bad result for Dingles.

Filed under Assorted Articles, DISPATCHES Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Employer Picks Up the Tab?

February 24, 2011 Leave a comment

Here’s a 2/15/11 article in The New York Post about an alleged bully boss.  Whether or not Mr. Dingle prevails,  this story should give employers pause to think about the high cost to THEM of alleged bullying – higher health costs, sick leave, complaints to human resources that tie up personnel, lost work hours, poor morale, bad publicity that may discourage quality job applicants and taint the organization, turnover, and, of course, costly litigation.  As a lawyer and consultant with experience in employment law and domestic violence, I have done substantial research in this area and believe that training, monitoring and early intervention could resolve many of these problems before they reach the critical stage.  PGB

My boss’ voice made me vomit

By JAMIE SCHRAM

The mere sound of his boss’ voice made his stomach turn.

Housing Authority Superintendent Anthony Dingle was so sickened by higher-up Demetrice Gadson’s constant berating that he would literally vomit, according to a lawsuit.

“I was constantly being attacked by her. I felt like attacks could come at any time. Every time I heard her voice, it triggered a sickening feeling in me,” Dingle said through his lawyers, Michael Borrelli and Alexander Coleman.

Dingle, 48, claims that his boss became verbally abusive after he blew the whistle on her for alleged shenanigans.

He says he was forced to go to a doctor because of the abuse to get “prescribed medication to calm his stomach and to get his intestinal system properly functioning,” the Manhattan Supreme Court suit charges.

A colleague even told him that Gadson relished in his suffering, the suit alleges, saying, “I did not know that I made men throw up” — and then laughed hysterically.

Gadson, 43, who is deputy director of the Housing Authority’s Manhattan Management unit, was so heartless that she even chastised Dingle as he grieved for his dead uncle, the suit says.

While Dingle was attending his uncle’s funeral in South Carolina, Gadson allegedly fired off e-mails to him that ripped him for not requesting overtime to address certain issues and accusing him of “not knowing his role.”

“She showed me a complete lack of respect,” Dingle said through his lawyers.

Dingle’s health continued to deteriorate, the suit says, and he suffered from a bleeding prostate that was treated by a urologist.

He was so beaten down emotionally that he sought out a shrink.

“Mr. Dingle began seeing a psychological therapist, and he continues, to date, to see this therapist on a weekly basis,” the suit charges.

The suit, filed late last year against the Housing Authority and Gadson, alleges the boss began verbally bashing Dingle after he complained about her to higher ups while he was superintendent at the Polo Grounds Towers in Harlem.

It follows a federal suit filed by Dingle against both last year. In that suit, the judge dismissed the case against the Housing Authority while the claims against Gadson remain pending. The Housing Authority declined to comment.

Reached by telephone, Gadson declined to comment.

Filed under Assorted Articles, DISPATCHES Tagged with , , , Anthony Dingle, , , ,

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