Engineer alleges Ford fired him to block pension benefits

His problems began in early 2024, the complaint alleges, when he was assigned a new supervisor. According to the filing, that supervisor questioned and undermined his work before issuing the worst interim performance review of his career in August 2024 – after supervising him for only a few months. The engineer rebutted the review through Ford’s internal system, and the complaint says the supervisor later acknowledged that management had not been fully aware of the full scope of his work. The rating was not revised, the filing states.

When the engineer asked whether his job was at risk, he was assured it was not, the complaint alleges. He was then given four additional objectives for the rest of 2024 and, according to the filing, completed all four and exceeded expectations on three.

On January 16, 2025, Ford terminated him without warning, without a performance improvement plan, and without a final performance review, the complaint says. When he asked whether he had violated any company policy, he was told he had not, according to the filing.

The comparison at the center of the case is what HR leaders will note. The complaint alleges that a younger Caucasian female employee under the same supervisor was placed on a performance improvement plan, completed it, and kept her job. It also alleges that a younger Caucasian male working on the same Bronco program, with only a couple of years of service, was given a plan rather than being fired. The engineer, who the filing says had more than 29 years credited toward his pension, alleges he was offered no such option.

Timing drives the lawsuit. At termination, the filing states, he was five months short of 30 years of service – the point at which, the complaint alleges, substantially enhanced pension and retirement benefits would have become available. The complaint claims Ford ended his employment to prevent him from reaching that milestone.