They just couldn’t go with the flow.
A former computer executive with a severe bladder disorder claims he was wrongfully fired by his former employer after relieving himself in a Times Square hotel lobby after a business meeting and being caught by astonished bosses, who then fired him, according to a new lawsuit.
Former Lenovo salesman Richard Becker claims in his $1.5 million lawsuit that he was unable to return to his room at the Westin New York and was forced to “secretly urinate on the ground” in the hotel’s “foyer.”
The 66-year-old man said he went to the toilet five times during the business meal, but on his way back to the hotel his bladder “got the better of him” and he had to relieve himself in public on the Westin’s floor.
But he wasn’t “discreet” enough and was caught defecating by another Lenovo employee, who reported him to higher-ups at the company, which Becker said was done “with malice and spite.”
Four days later, Becker was fired without notice or severance pay, despite the company being fully aware of his long-standing bladder condition.
He’s now suing, alleging that Lenovo discriminated against him because of his disability, according to court documents filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“Despite knowledge of Mr. Becker’s bladder condition, which is legally a disability, Lenovo summarily terminated him based on his condition following an incident that had no effect on Mr. Becker’s ability to perform his job or Lenovo’s business,” the lawsuit states.
In court documents, Becker portrays himself as a veteran of the computer sales industry and claims that since being hired in 2022 as a global account sales executive for Lenovo, he has won numerous awards, including a trip to Costa Rica, and grown the business by 200 percent.
Since 2016, he has also been suffering from a chronic condition that causes him to urinate frequently, for which he is regularly treated by a urologist. Becker’s lawsuit says his coworkers were well aware of the problem and “would tease him about his frequent trips to the bathroom.”
But he claims that during a business trip with a colleague at the Westin Hotel in Times Square last February, his bladder symptoms got the better of him as he raced back to the hotel from a restaurant 12 blocks away.
Becker only made it “to the front door of the hotel,” the lawsuit states, “which was in a deserted area on a different floor from the lobby.”
“At that point, faced with embarrassment, panic and an emergency, Ms. Becker had no choice but to secretly urinate on the ground behind a doorpost.”
He claims he didn’t see anyone, but a Lenovo vice president saw him urinating and immediately alerted the computer HR department.
Four days later, Becker was fired without even being asked his side of the story, according to the lawsuit.
However, a Westin employee told The Post that there is no such space, and the only public spaces in the hotel with columns are the entrance on the first floor and the concierge desk on the second floor.
Additionally, employees said there are restrooms in the lobby.
Becker and his lawyers could not be reached multiple times.
His lawsuit also claims that while his urinary issues “were understood by Lenovo to be a result of his disability,” they are minor compared to the “far more egregious conduct” he lists, such as the infamous 2021 incident in which a drunk Lenovo salesperson stuffed a coworker into a “toy vending machine.”
Becker says he has not found a new job since being fired. He is seeking at least $1.5 million in damages in his lawsuit.
Lenovo did not respond to a request for comment.
