A woman in New Zealand has been reportedly awarded $17,000 after being unfairly fired for using bold, uppercase letters in an e-mail to co-workers.

The tribunal ruled Vicki Walker of Auckland was unfairly dismissed for the formatting of her e-mail messages, despite the fact that her former employer, ProCare Health, had no official e-mail style guide, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Walker used a variety of bold, red and all-capped fonts when she gave colleagues detailed instructions on how to properly fill out forms.

ProCare Health claimed during the tribunal that Walker, an accountant, was the subject of complaints from coworkers about shouty and confrontational e-mails.

The company said Walker acted provocatively by highlighting portions of her messages in bold or colored lettering.

Walker said she was forced into so much debt over the past two years after being fired, including a second mortgage on her home.

She was awarded $17,000 for lost wages and unspecified harm in a wrongful termination lawsuit and plans to appeal to the Employment Relations Authority for additional compensation, according to the report.