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IBM Sued for Firing Alleged Internet Addict

Posted by Zonk on from the i-have-been-told-the-internet-is-for-porn dept.

globring sent us a link to a CNN article covering a trial with a unique defense. James Pacenza, a 58 year old Alabama man, has been fired from his position at IBM for visiting adult sites during working hours. The man is now suing the company for $5 Million, alleging that he is an internet addict. The plaintiff claims he visits these sites as a way of dealing with traumatic stress incurred in the Vietnam War. He claims that while he is addicted to sex and the internet, he never visited adult sites at work. Age-related issues, he says, are the cause of his filing. IBM, on its part, says that Pacenza was warned during a similar incident several months ago. Pacenza denies this as well.

2 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Snu snu?? by Skater · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think snu-snu is just sex. The punishment was "death by snu-snu". That implies that snu-snu does not always involve death, sort of like how "death by misadventure" doesn't imply that misadventure always leads to death.

    (That's one of my favorite episodes.)

  2. Re:What about visiting Bible sites or /.? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    Almost anything taken to an extreme can become illogical. The issue here is about IBM's rules for computer use.

    Let's not speculate about what could be done: Read the actual rules. We sign a contract every year that we will follow IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines. If you're curious, the short section on information and communication systems.

    I think the rules are very reasonable. Does anything in there strike you as unreasonable?