Workers who suffer from emotional abuse sometimes want to sue for "emotional distress". In labor law, to win a case of "intentional infliction of emotional distress," you will have to show that your employer (or someone who represents your employer - like an executive or a supervisor) said or did things to you that were so outrageous that a court would consider them "beyond the bounds of decency". According to labor law, if your employer occasionally screams at you, intimidates you, or made you work 20 hours a day, this might not be sufficient. On the other hand, if your employer subjected you to continuous and hostile verbal abuse over a long period of time, this might be enough. If you bring such a lawsuit, you must also prove that it was your employer - not something or someone else in your life - that caused your emotional abuse.

If your employer's conduct was not outrageous enough to support an emotional distress suit, you still might be able to file a worker's compensation claim for on-the-job stress.

Either way, if you are faced with emotional abuse , see a labor lawyer who specializes in employment law.