(ConservativeInsider.org) – A man with Asperger’s Syndrome who worked for Amazon said he was abused and bullied by his co-workers and the company did nothing when he reported it. A jury has since awarded $1.2 million to the man, Michael Kopp, after finding that the company “intentionally inflicted emotional distress” on him.
Kopp has Asperger’s Syndrome and dyslexia, which cause him to struggle with reading, nonverbal communication, and social interactions. However, even with his disabilities, Kopp was recognized by Amazon as the third most productive associate for the warehouse he worked at in 2019.
Kopp was hired as a temporary employee in late 2015, but became a full-time employee in early 2016. Unfortunately, during his time there, he became the target of abuse from his co-workers, who would taunt him with malicious comments, such as calling him a “waste of life” and telling him to kill himself. He was called a “retard” and told that no one at the company liked him.
The torment from his coworkers did not stop at verbal harassment, as coworkers did other things, like throwing packages at him. In one incident that occurred in 2017, a coworker threw a four-pound box at his head, which Kopp said led to numbness in his limbs.
When Kopp complained to his manager, the manager told Kopp not to report the incident to Human Resources, because the alleged perpetrator “really need[ed] the job.” Kopp said the harassment got so bad that he began having physical symptoms of illness due to the stress. When Kopp sought out medical care, his doctor wrote him a note excusing him from work, but Kopp’s manager and a human resources manager told him that Amazon did not accept doctor’s notes and he needed to work that day. Kopp walked out and never returned.
This is not the first lawsuit from an employee against Amazon. One worker filed a lawsuit earlier this year after claiming he was fired after he sought time off to grieve the death of his parents.
Neither Amazon nor the attorneys representing Amazon responded to requests for comment on the story.
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