He was sent home. Berling texted one of the supervisors about two hours later to apologise for his panic attack.
Berling sued the company, alleging disability discrimination and retaliation, which refers to getting fired when an employee exercises their workplace rights or reports a legal violation of workplace laws.The company's lawyer John Maley said Berling had"clenched his fists","turned red" and also ordered his supervisors to"be quiet" during the meeting, which scared them, according to NYT.
In the US, at-will employees can be fired at any time for any reason except illegal ones, or even for no reason, without incurring legal liability. Similarly, at-will employees can leave a job at any time for no reason without suffering legal consequences. Meanwhile, Berling's lawyer Tony Bucher said his client's reaction was in response to criticism from one of the supervisors for his response to the birthday party.