More wacky workplace tales

This time it's courtesy of Gerald Skoning, a senior partner in the law firm of Seyfarth Shaw. Writing in the National Law Journal, he comes up with 10 weird/outrageous/funny employment law situations. Here are four for your amusement:

--Workplace hustler: The California Superior Court in Los Angeles has certified an arbitrator's decision that Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt must pay $1.1 million to a former secretary who alleged that having to comply with Flynt's trysts with prostitutes in his private office created a hostile work environment. Elizabeth Rene Raymond alleged that she had to participate in an "early warning system" when Flynt's wife was approaching the executive offices during one of these trysts. It seems that Flynt didn't understand that what is portrayed in his magazines isn't quite appropriate office behavior.

--Family-leave hoax: A newly hired salesman did no work for months, after telling bosses his 3-year-old son had cancer. He was revealed to be a liar when his employer tried to send flowers to the family, after being told the boy had died. That was the allegation in a suit filed last year by Lancope Inc., a software firm against Michael Ruffalo, who launched his tales of hardship right after he took a job and was given paid leave for several months. Lancope was awarded $52,517 in damages this year.

--Profitable panic attack: A California superior court jury has awarded $6.5 million to a health care case worker who claimed he was denied a promotion because a panic disorder prevented him from meeting clients. George Alberigi was diagnosed in 1986 with panic disorder and agoraphobia. For most of his 14 years with the county's Human Services Department, he was allowed to interview clients by phone, but a promotion he applied for required meeting clients in person. He was denied the promotion and eventually went on permanent medical disability. His award included $1.5 million in lost wages and $5 million for pain and suffering.

--Peeping and poison ivy: The 8th Circuit has ruled that a supervisor who spied through a peephole into a women's restroom for years and placed a substance apparently containing poison ivy on the toilet seat did not create hostile environment liability for the employer. Jill Cottrill and a co-worker sued their employer, MFA Inc., based on these activities of which they were, at the time, unaware. The court ruled that an employee "may only rely on evidence relating to harassment of which she was aware during the time she was allegedly subjected to a hostile work environment."