Is it worth it to file lawsuit for past bullying leading to PTSD?

[Mke]

I'm in my 30s and have suffered from PTSD, shyness, social anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts for years from bullying I went through in high school, college, and office jobs. What also pisses me off is that I had to quit from jobs due to bullying, resulting in huge gaps (as in years) in my resume not to mention the mental health issues I had to deal with which prevented me from interviewing well for jobs and resulting in literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income. One job in particular that I was bullied at, I was terminated at the end of my at will employment period. I literally could be almost a millionaire now if not for the bullying

I just wish I could sue them and get justice. Or at least sue my brother because of how he constantly bullied me when I was younger and I had literally zero self-esteem during my teenage years. But I figured I would have no chance since the bullying occurred years ago. Also there wasn't any physical violence involved nor were there any obvious racial slurs said. Also, I'm not part of the minority classes that so if I claim discrimination my guess is I won't be taken seriously. Also I figured even if I won the lawsuit, I may still end up losing alot of money due to lawyer fees

Has anyone ever filed lawsuits against their past bullies? Is it worth it?

 

[Elisante]

I'm sorry for what happened. In my opinion, it is not worth it. Not at all. You probably have no proof, it happened years ago and if it wasn't physical they probably didn't break any laws. And even if it wasn't for these obstacles, it would be time consuming and it would cost you a ton of money.

 

[Alice Raven]

Hi Mke, I'm so sorry for what you went through. I have seen, experienced and written about bullying in the workplace. My husband is also an attorney who has worked in EEO law. Every country will likely have different laws and it looks like you're in the US so every state will have different laws.

My limited understanding of at will employment is that you essentially have no legal rights should you be terminated. I'm going to be honest in saying that you would have a long and hard road should you being about a lawsuit. Speaking from the experience of a close friend and my research, you would need to retain a good EEO attorney. An initial consult could cost hundreds. Then, you would have to put down a retainer should you wish to use that attorney. My friend put down $25,000 as her retainer. Her lawsuit took three years and cost her $60,000. She eventually settled and made that back with a bit more, but it was emotionally draining and she had those legal fees to pay until the settlement happened. A lawsuit against the government will be limited to a cap in damages and you would get nothing for pain and suffering. Against a private sector company there is no such cap.

What she had to show was a direct connection between the negative actions and her pain and suffering along with her financial loss. You cannot go off of a hypothetical. There has to be a direct connection between the action and your monetary setback. In my friend's case, she was demoted as a direct result of retaliation. Hence, action X resulted in financial loss Y.

The other thing is you have to bury your defendant with documentation. My friend had months of documentation and reams of paperwork showing the hostile, harassing and abusive environment by the person who demoted her. Your attorney would again need to show an X resulted in Y relationship.

All the while, the company painted my friend as being the problem and her entire life became an open book as they made her out to be mentally ill. Anything you have done could be fair game for their attorneys - any bad act, any mental health treatment, etc. You would have to be prepared for this.

Again, I'm going to be honest in saying that you would have a hard road to travel in this. If I may be so bold, I would recommend therapy or something else that may help you get past this and heal yourself so that you would be able to return to work without this awful thing weighing you down.

I absolutely feel for you and know the horrible effects of bullying. I myself have been bullied at work and have also stood up for coworkers being bullied and made myself a target. It is emotionally debilitating and does horrible damage to morale and productivity.

If you wish to do more research, I utilized Gary Namie as a source of my writing and he is one of the leading authorities on bullying in the US.

Blessings to you and good luck.

 

[Lizaje]

I tried to report it to the police. I realized soon in the interrogation that they would not be able to help (I expected that because I had no evidence) so I asked them, "What can I do?"

They told me to seek psychiatric treatment if I feel so bad.

 

[Purpleplum]

It's not worth it to sue them. The best revenge is living well.

 

[english rose]

About 7 years after I left school I wrote to the local education authority telling them that I intended to sue as teachers had failed to protect me from bullying by other kids, I never went through with it because I was concerned that the case might make it in to the local press/media (the internet was in its infancy at the time & social media did not exist), it would have been humiliating for me if the kids (now adults) knew that they had ruined me & I was a pathetic shell of a person who had amounted to nothing.