FIRED FOR FARTING TOO MUCH

     How can anyone fart too much? And can you be fired from your job for farting too much? Apparently, you can! A Pennsylvania man has found himself in a stinky situation. His wife filed a lawsuit last month against their former employer who allegedly fired him for farting too much. Is that even possible?

     70-year-old Richard Clem and his wife, Louann, both worked at Case Pork Roll Company of Trenton, New Jersey. He was fired in February, 2014, for his supposed flatulence. So, wait! A company that makes taylor ham, or pork roll to the southern folk, fired a man for farting? Doesn't their product create farting? Louann claims in a court filing that her husband's termination was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Richard Clem supports the lawsuit and is taking legal action on his own through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

     Clem said, "When the suit was filed, I didn't know it would go viral. I was very surprised." Clem started working for Case Pork Roll back in 2004 as a controller and believes he did a pretty good job. He proudly said, "I brought them into the 21st century." When he was hired, he weighed about 420 pounds, but underwent gastric bypass surgery in October 2010, to get rid of his own pork belly. Clem lost almost 120 pounds before gaining back about 10. With the weight loss came some embarrassing side effects, including "extreme gas and uncontrollable diarrhea." Back in 2013, Clem's symptoms worsened, which caused "significant disruption in the workplace." 

     Louann, who began working at Case Pork Roll in 2008, said company president Thomas Dolan repeatedly griped about her husband's gas problems. The suit alleges Dolan made Richard work at home and said things like, "We cannot run an office and have visitors with that odor in this office," and "Tell Rich we are having complaints from people who have problems with odors." 

     Richard Clem was fired from Case Pork Roll on February 28, 2014 and his wife Louann quit the same day "because of the harassment and discrimination her husband faced as a result of his disability and the resulting symptoms." The Clems' lawyer said that his clients gastrointestinal disorders may be getting the headlines, but aren't the key part of the case. He said, "Flatulence and farting is the sexy part of the story, but my client suffers from obesity, which is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act." Louann Clem is seeking damages from Case Pork Roll that include pain and suffering, compensatory damages and punitive damages. Richard Clem is also asking the company employees to go through training programs that will prevent future incidents from occurring. He says, "I'm speaking up for people who are overweight. Does being obese mean you can't do a good job? Of course not!"

     I have to say that I am not obese and I am lucky that you can't get fired for farting too much in the office. I remember when I used to work in radio, I used to fart so much that I would stink my office mate out of the office. One time he got back at me because when I was listening to a syndicated show for any blips or curse words, I had to wear headphones, but I would still let them rip. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was one of the girls who worked for Glenn Beck. Oops! She tapped me on the shoulder and waved. I was so embarrassed, but it didn't stop me. I just kept on letting them rip at work. Luckily, he never complained about it and was a good sport. This pork roll and farting case, though, is on a whole new playing field.