After two weeks of testimony and four hours of deliberations, a 4th District Court jury decided Wednesday that Springville businessman Harold R. Wing's eccentric office antics were not the cause of a former employee's emotional injuries.

Steven E. Garner filed a lawsuit in February saying Wing's "outrageous acts" caused him to quit his job in May 1993 at Wing Enterprises Inc., formerly Little Giant Industries, after 14 years of employment. Garner, who worked as the company's vice president of government and corporate sales, was seeking more than $2 million from the company's founder and chief executive officer.In his lawsuit, Garner said Wing once pressed a loaded pistol to his head during one of his office games. He also said that on other occasions Wing pointed a stun gun and a blowgun at him in "assaultive" manners.

Garner says Wing's acts caused him emotional distress, humiliation and physical and mental health problems and that he quit because he could no longer tolerate the atmosphere. He's been under the care of a doctor since, he testified.

Wing admits being a collector of weapons but said he and Garner often exhibited weapons together, fired them together and joked about them together. He says over the years the two often engaged in mutual horseplay and that Garner was often the aggressor in the horseplay.

Allen Young, Wing's attorney, argued that Garner quit because of a downturn in military orders and a drop in sales and income.

The jury concluded in a special verdict that Wing did not assault Garner, did not intentionally inflict emotional distress on Garner and did not constructively discharge Garner. The jury did find that Wing negligently inflicted emotional distress on Garner, but the negligence was not the cause of Garner's mental injuries.

At one time in the trial Wing offered Garner his job back, but Garner refused the offer.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.