Court orders 100 mil. yen payment for suicide caused by overwork+

SAPPORO, Feb. 2 Kyodo -
A court in Hokkaido on Monday ordered an agricultural cooperative in the
prefecture to pay 100 million yen in compensation to the relatives of a
33-year-old employee for its failure to take measures to prevent him from
committing suicide due to overwork in 2005.
In handing down the ruling at the Obihiro branch of Kushiro District Court,
Presiding Judge Tadahiro Okayama determined the cooperative was not ''unable to
predict a change in the man's mental condition or his suicide.''
The judge stated that the cooperative ''could have prevented (the suicide) if
it had taken appropriate measures, such as restricting his working hours and
recommending him to visit a psychiatrist.''
The relatives of the man, who worked for the cooperative in the town of
Otofuke, had sought about 140 million yen in compensation in filing the
lawsuit.
A lawyer for the plaintiffs praised the ruling as ''sensible'' as it
sufficiently reflects their feelings.
An official at the cooperative declined to comment on the ruling as it has not
yet studied it, but said it will decide how to respond after consulting with
lawyers.
According to the ruling, the man's workload started to increase from June 2004
after a colleague took sick leave.
He was also rebuked by his superior even after being promoted in April 2005 and
suffered symptoms of depression. He committed suicide in May that year at the
cooperative's storehouse.
In December 2006, the Labor Standards Supervision Office in Obihiro
acknowledged that his death was work-related.
==Kyodo
2009-02-02 22:50:11