Bullying is not a laughing matter. Every day, children face hardships in the form of harassment and assault at school and even at home. Adults, too, are confronted with despicable behavior in the workplace, ranging from sexual harassment to physical assault. The latest such case comes to us from a land down under, where a thorough 18-day trial made sure to get to the bottom of things. Brace yourself for the disgusting story of a boss who farted on his employee.
According to Newshub, the Australian man who sued his employer for bullying-by-farting, David Hingst, just lost the $1,396,710 suit. He claimed that his supervisor had farted on him with malicious intent throughout an entire year from 2008 to 2009. Fifteen witnesses were reportedly called in to testify in this trial of a lifetime at the Victoria Supreme Court, where the fates of underdog employee and Construction Engineering Australia boss Greg Short would be decided.
Hingst claimed that Short would “lift his bum and fart” on him, and that the trauma inflicted by this vicious gassing had resulted in anxiety, depression, and yes, even physical injury. How exactly one can be physically injured by the release of another man’s gas is unclear, but I suppose the term "silent but deadly" seems more understandable now.
In one particular incident uncovered during the notorious Hingst/Short Fart Trial of 2018, Hingst had reportedly had enough of his boss’ shenanigans and presented him with a can of deodorant, calling him “Mr. Stinky.” As you can tell, this trial was forced to set precedents of the utmost importance regarding highly sensitive and mature matters so that all Australians can walk into work without fear for their lives. Unfortunately for the native German employee who urged lawmakers to seek damages, the ruling was not in his favor.
“I do not accept the plaintiff’s evidence about the frequency of Mr. Short’s flatulence in the office, or that it was targeted at the plaintiff,” wrote Justice Rita Zammit. Additionally, she believes Hingst’s troubled and emotional response at the farting was rooted in the plaintiff’s upbringing and cultural identity. “Us Australians are sort of brought up, you sort of accept it or think, ‘Oh it’s just—that’s what happens’,” Zammit added. As a native German myself, I can safely say that if my boss farted on me for an entire year, I’d consider seeking damages too—but would probably choose to counter-attack, first.
