Jury Awards Ex-Ford Employee Nearly $17M in Discrimination Suit, California Heat Wave Prompts Power Shutdowns, Wildfire Danger, Insurance Acquisition Completes Shift Auto Retailer Deal; IPO Launches, New York's NFP Hires Pendergast to P&C Division as Senior Vice President, Olympus Insurance Co. of Florida Taps Milliman's Rollins as CFO, Sr. Field Sales Training Consultant (Allstate Benefits) -, Insurers Caught Up in Civil Rights Settlements Against Law Enforcement, Report: Crisis Management Needs Unmet for 60% of Mid-Sized Businesses, Coronavirus Pandemic Makes Politically Risky World Even Riskier, Reconstructing the Construction Market for the COVID-19 World, Meeting the Needs of the “New” Gig Economy, CEO of Top Battery Maker LG Chem Discloses JV Talks, Defends Split-Off, Former Roommate of Accused Capital One Hacker Sentenced, Wildfire Smoke in US Exposes Millions to Hazardous Pollution, Time's Up Study: Many Who Report Harassment Face Retaliation, Man Charged With Setting Wildfires in California Forest, A Happy Hour with Kevin: Booze... the Webinar, Commercial Property Master Class - Causes of Loss Forms, Exclusions. Despite Khalaf earning a "top achiever" performance rating six months prior to the supervisory change, the complaint stated that Fowler subjected Khalaf to "regular and frequent unwarranted criticism and hostility" over his ability to speak and understand English, put Khalaf in "demeaning" and "servile" positions and assigned him "unrealistic work goals.".

“He has an absolute unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and we are grateful for his contributions to our success. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday. Why don’t you understand this?’” Laughbaum said, adding that Fowler would “literally pound his fist on the table and yell” at Khalaf because of his English-speaking skills.

According to Ford's website, Zhou is executive technical leader for quality at the company.

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In April 2014, Khalaf filed a complaint with Ford HR saying he was being subjected to discrimination and harassment based on his national origin. If you own or manage a manufacturing business in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, South Carolina, Florida or Texas contact Bennie today to learn more about coaching and consulting services. One of Khalaf’s supervisors would slam his fist on a table and scream at him for his English, according to Laughbaum. In June 2014, Khalaf was forced to take a medical leave because of workplace stress, the complaint stated. Thank you!

The diverse backgrounds of our employees truly make us a stronger company and we are extremely proud of our policies and programs that support equality.". Tags: Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, discrimination, Image. Following an 11-day trial, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Michigan ruled March 28 in favor of the former employee, Faisal G. Khalaf, after finding the engineer had been subjected to discrimination based on his background and accent and was retaliated against — and ultimately terminated — after coming forward about the issues.

Ford has been criticized for workplace discrimination before, including in a December New York Times investigation into sexual harassment at two Chicago plants.

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Michigan awarded Khalaf $15 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million in retirement and pension losses, and $100,000 for emotional distress. var script = document.createElement('script'); On March 28, a federal jury in Michigan ruled that Faisal Khalaf was subjected to workplace discrimination and retaliation after he reported the abuse, the Detroit Free Press reported. Khalaf described the intimidation from Fowler as feeling like he was going to “crush him like an ant,” Laughbaum said. Despite Khalaf reporting a hostile and intimidating work environment — saying it felt like Fowler was going to “crush him like an ant” — the company stands behind its diverse and inclusive mission. With over 40 years of experience working throughout the value chain at one of the world’s largest multinational manufacturers, Ford Motor Company, Bennie Fowler offers unique insights into tackling key challenges.

She noted that the case against Ford dealt with both discrimination and retaliation. According to Laughbaum, one of Zhou's subsequent recommendations for Khalaf to improve on the job was to take an English as a Second Language class. “There was a high-level executive at Ford Motor Co. that my client reported to … that would berate him and criticize him week after week about his English,” Carol Laughbaum of Sterling Attorneys said to the Detroit Free Press. Detroit Metro Times - Contact Us Please tell us what you liked about it. “I think the jury was pretty appalled by what they heard, and the verdict reflects this,” she said. He was terminated in 2015 after filing a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Detroit Metro Times, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Detroit Metro Times. Khalaf, who had been working at Ford since 1999, began enduring unfair treatment from his supervisors Bennie Fowler and Jay Zhou in June 2012 until his official termination in … if(document.getElementById('commitchange-script')) return; “It wasn’t a matter of ‘Please, can you repeat this?’ but ‘What is wrong with you?

“Literally, he made my guy his personal coffee boy,” Laughbaum said.

The case was filed under a statute that allows unlimited punitive damages. Ford releases salary, pay ratio data for entire workforce, Ford management shakeup: Galhotra replaces ousted president of Ford N. America, Ford announces departures of two executives from Silicon Valley, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A representative from Ford says the automotive company disagrees with the verdict and is currently looking into options to getting it "corrected. The intention was to punish the defendant and deter them from future discriminatory employment practices, said Laughbaum. "The case is unusual in that we were filing suit under one statute in particular that allows unlimited punitive damages,” Laughbaum said, explaining that the purpose of the statute is to punish the defendant and deter them from engaging in discriminatory employment practices in the future.

In September 2015, Khalaf was officially terminated. "There was a high-level executive at Ford Motor Co. that my client reported to ...  that would berate him and criticize him week after week about his English," said Carol Laughbaum of Sterling Attorneys.

“Ford is committed to creating an environment that promotes diversity and inclusion within our workforce and communities.

Follow her on Twitter @allie_elisabeth. Letters may be edited and shortened for space. We have updated our privacy policy to be more clear and meet the new requirements of the GDPR.

All parts of this site Copyright © 2020 Detroit Metro Times. Detroit Metro Times works for you, and your support is essential.

var first = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; A jury has awarded nearly $17 million to a former Ford engineer who sued the automaker for discrimination because he says two supervisors repeatedly berated and criticized him for his Arab background and accent. The diverse backgrounds of our employees truly make us a stronger company and we are extremely proud of our policies and programs that support equality.”. © 2020 www.freep.com. The piece noted that in August 2017, the EEOC reached a $10-million settlement with Ford for sexual and racial harassment at the two plants. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Thank you!

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