A case of a form of schoolyard squabbling arrived at a Court of Appeal in Australia on Monday. The court is tasked with deciding whether flatulence is a form of bullying.

According to 56-year-old David Hingst, a former employee at Construction Engineering, it certainly is.

Hingst sued the firm for bullying in 2017, accusing supervisor Greg Short (whom Hingst referred to as "Mr. Stinky") of being a serial offender who regularly "thrusted his bum" at him, news.com.au reported quoting The Australian Associated Press. Hingst is seeking damages of AUS$1.8 million ($1.28 million).

"I would be sitting with my face to the wall and he would come into the room, which was small and had no windows," Hingst told the news service, according to news.com.au. "He would fart behind me and walk away. He would do this five or six times a day," which led the engineer to spray deodorant at his boss, the news site reported.

The recurrent gas-passing, Hingst claimed, was part of a conspiracy to end his employment and caused him "severe stress." (Hingst also alleged he was marginalized by employees and received bullying phone calls.)

Neither party to the lawsuit returned a request for comment.