MetaChat - Man Sues IBM Over Adult Chat Room Firing

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19 February 2007

Man Sues IBM Over Adult Chat Room Firing - A man who was fired by IBM for visiting an adult chat room at work is suing the company for $5 million, claiming he is an Internet addict who deserves treatment and sympathy rather than dismissal.

post by: ericb at: 17:03 | 15 comments

Doesn't sound like he has much of a case.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 17:12

I should have tried this with my last employers...

posted by Specklet 19 February | 17:17

a: The Age of the Sexual Harassment Lawsuit made this behavior indefensible.

b: "A military combat veteran, if anyone, should be afforded a second chance..." That was his second chance; he had been warned for a similar event four months prior.

posted by mischief 19 February | 17:26

Exactly; he'd already been warned. He knew what he had to do- stay out of those chat rooms. He could have asked the IT department to put a strong filter on his computer, block X, Y, Z sites, etc.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 17:29

Hopefully IBM gave the warning in writing and/or has it in his HR record.

posted by brina 19 February | 17:42

Heh, knowing IBM, they have 4 carbon copies of the warning floating around.

posted by mischief 19 February | 17:57

Imagine the precedent if he wins. There'd be liberty, justice and pr0n for all.

posted by TheDonF 19 February | 18:55

Brilliant reasoning. "I witnessed a horrific event during a tour in 'Nam, so to cope with the stress some nearly 40 years later I need to chat in Adult chat rooms. You can't fire me...I'm sick."

So does that mean that I should be able to steal jewelry and hold up banks because when I was 10 a male friend flashed his penis at me? Oh, the horror.

posted by redvixen 19 February | 19:23

So does that mean that I should be able to steal jewelry and hold up banks because when I was 10 a male friend flashed his penis at me?

Well, if the answers yes, I could use about 50K in cash and some diamond jewelery get back to me. (then again, when I was 7, a neighbor girl spontaneously stripped for me and at 15, a guy in a car offered me money for a blowjob. I should have a dispensation to rob Fort Knox).

posted by jonmc 19 February | 19:35

Jonmc, you want round, emerald, or cushion cut diamonds?

posted by redvixen 19 February | 21:04

I remember once, when I lived in Austin and worked at UT, during a work evaluation my boss said, "You spend an awful lot of time at a blue and yellow website." I remember my face getting flush and my mouth drying out.

posted by ColdChef 19 February | 21:11

"You spend an awful lot of time at a blue and yellow website." I remember my face getting flush and my mouth drying out.

There's no shame in visiting the University of Michigan website -- unless you're an alum of Ohio State.

posted by ericb 19 February | 21:16

"You spend an awful lot of time at a blue and yellow website." I remember my face getting flush and my mouth drying out.
Heh, I had almost exactly the same comment from a previous boss. I mumbled something about research and then something distracted him and I got away with it.

posted by dg 20 February | 00:02

did you know that MetaFilter works (logged in) in lynx over ssh? it's awesome!

posted by By the Grace of God 20 February | 05:32

The default MeFi color scheme reminds me more of Pitt circa early 1980s than U of M.

I switched to the white background a long time ago, and it sort of blends in with all the other windows I've got open on my two monitors. But I wish Matthowie and Jessamyn would discover pastel colors.

posted by PaxDigita 20 February | 10:07

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