In what is believed to be the first workplace bullying case, a jury in Indiana has ordered a heart surgeon to pay an ex-employee $325,000.
Joseph Doescher sued over a Nov. 2, 2001, incident involving St. Francis Hospital's chief heart surgeon, Dr. Daniel Raess, whom he accused of screaming and lunging toward the him, reported the Indianapolis Star Saturday.
Doescher had worked at the hospital for 17 years as a perfusionist operating equipment that oxygenates the blood during surgery and making $100,000 annually.
In his final argument, Doescher's attorney Kevin Betz described Raess as a domineering manager who viewed himself as untouchable and wanted to put Doescher in his place after the plaintiff had threatened to tell hospital administrators that Raess had verbally abused other members of his staff, the Star said.
Expert psychiatrists called by both sides said Doescher could not return to a hospital work setting after his experience, however, the defense tried to use testimony of Doescher's earlier depression and anxiety to discredit his account of the incident.
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