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Woman Sues City Over Co-Worker's Perfume City Worker Wants Ban, Unspecified Damages

Posted: 5:59 am CDT July 5, 2007

Detroit -- An employee in the Detroit planning department who claims she is severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics has sued the city, saying a co-worker's strong fragrance prohibits her from working.

Susan McBride's lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, says the work environment is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She wants a ban on such scents at work -- and unspecified damages.

City spokesman Matt Allen declined to comment, telling The Detroit News the city does not normally comment on litigation or personnel issues.

McBride, who joined the planning department in 2000, says problems started a year ago when the co-worker, who isn't identified in the lawsuit, transferred into her department.

"This employee not only wore a strong scent, but also plugged in a scented room deodorizer," the lawsuit states. "Ms. McBride was overcome by the smell almost instantly, causing her to go home sick."

The co-worker later agreed to stop using the room deodorizer but kept using perfume, the lawsuit states.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

:eek: A lawsuit over strong perfume?? She couldn't have just talked to the person first? I'm sorry to hear that the combination of strong perfume and air freshner made her sick but come on now, a lawsuit? IMO, it's rather extreme.

I saw this story on the news last night. The reporter said the woman wearing the perfume was told not to wear it to work by the supervisors, but she still wore it to work anyway.

There are people who have high sensitivity to strong perfumes/colognes/lotions. I know a lady who gets hives from those things. So she can't walk through parts of the mall where they spray perfume on you, etc. Not to mention those strong scents can be distracting when you try to work, especially if they are in cubicles or other really confined work space.

She should go on Judge Judy. Bet she'd tell this person how frivolous a lawsuit this is.

I saw this story on the news last night. The reporter said the woman wearing the perfume was told not to wear it to work by the supervisors, but she still wore it to work anyway.

There are people who have high sensitivity to strong perfumes/colognes/lotions. I know a lady who gets hives from those things. So she can't walk through parts of the mall where they spray perfume on you, etc. Not to mention those strong scents can be distracting when you try to work, especially if they are in cubicles or other really confined work space.

Ah, okay. Thanks for clearing it up for me. :) I can see why there is a lawsuit now. She was told not to wear this perfume and she went against the supervisors and wore it anyway. I still think it's an extreme measure. I guess maybe it's a last resort.

Personally, I try to be very careful about how much perfume or lotion I wear to work. I usually go with softer, lighter scents that I know will not bother my co-workers.

There is also a sign at the doctor's office asking patients to refrain from
wearing colognes/perfume because of patients with asthma.

One of my old teacher's throat closed up with perfume and spray.

The human perfume bottle should be fired for not doing as she's told. Nobody should have to be sick and nauseous while working. I worked with a guy once who used so much cologne, you could smell him coming a mile away. If he ever worked next to me, I don't know what I would have done.

A lawsuit may seem extreme but if this person has been warned before not to wear it then perhaps this was a last resort.

My chest gets very tight and I have difficulty breathing around certain perfumes/colognes especially when people bathe in it.

Some people have can have extreme even fatal allergic reactions to perfumes/colognes

It looks like they could have come up with some other way of taking care of the problem. Maybe sending her home each time she came to work smelling so strong. After losing a few hours of pay each week maybe she'd stop spraying on so much of the perfume.

The human perfume bottle should be fired for not doing as she's told. Nobody should have to be sick and nauseous while working. I worked with a guy once who used so much cologne, you could smell him coming a mile away. If he ever worked next to me, I don't know what I would have done.
You are so right. When it comes to these types of lawsuits, it is almost always after ALL OTHER ATTEMPTS have failed. The lady wearing the perfume was told numerous times to stop wearing it. How much clearer can you be? Perfume is not a necessity to working. Now, if you smell like crap, that is a different story. ;)

You are so right. When it comes to these types of lawsuits, it is almost always after ALL OTHER ATTEMPTS have failed. The lady wearing the perfume was told numerous times to stop wearing it. How much clearer can you be? Perfume is not a necessity to working. Now, if you smell like crap, that is a different story. ;)
Right on, salt sister!! :clap