{"id":4947,"date":"2026-07-20T17:09:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4947"},"modified":"2026-07-20T17:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:09:12","slug":"exclusive-ford-worker-who-was-fired-after-being-falsely-accused-of-stealing-a-1-95-cookie-lawyers-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4947","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Ford worker who was fired after being falsely accused of stealing a $1.95 cookie lawyers up"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A Ford electrician who was fired over false allegations that he stole a $1.95 cookie is preparing to take legal action against the automaker and its cafeteria operator Aramark, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Read more Baby not eating? Spitting up? The feeding red flags to watch for \u2014\u00a0and what\u2019s actually normal<\/a><\/p>\n

Kurt Kromm, 60, who spent 11 years repairing robots and automated equipment at Ford\u2019s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky., says he was wrongly branded a thief after a self-checkout kiosk appeared to show he failed to pay for a two-pack of Grandma\u2019s Chocolate Chip Cookies during an overnight shift in May.<\/p>\n

Ford ultimately reinstated Kromm, paid him roughly $33,000 in back wages and offered him his job back after he produced bank records showing the $1.95 transaction had gone through.<\/p>\n

But Kromm rejected the offer, telling The Post last month: \u201cI can\u2019t come back to a company that just fired me like this and not give me any chance to show I paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kromm has now retained Kentucky attorney J. Will Huber, who plans to send a demand letter to Ford and Aramark this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe accusations of theft made against him were absolutely false,\u201d Huber said in a statement provided to The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proof of his innocence was available to or in the possession of both Aramark and Ford from the very start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huber added that Kromm \u201cpaid, but he was nevertheless labeled a thief and removed from the plant he devoted 11 years of his career to,\u201d calling the companies\u2019 handling of the incident \u201cunacceptable\u201d and saying the facts \u201cgive rise to substantial legal claims\u201d that Kromm intends to pursue \u201cto the fullest extent of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t comment on the specifics of pending litigation,\u201d a Ford spokesperson told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working to review the limited instances where Aramark kiosk issues have been raised.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bizarre saga was first reported by journalist Phoebe Wall Howard\u2019s Substack newsletter Shifting Gears.<\/p>\n

Kromm, who is diabetic, told The Post his blood sugar had dropped to 60 around 3:30 a.m. on May 9, prompting him to buy the cookies at an Aramark self-checkout kiosk inside the factory.<\/p>\n

He said the payment terminal flashed a red error message after he swiped his debit card. He swiped again, but while the screen never displayed the usual green approval checkmark, it also didn\u2019t reject the transaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured, well, it probably went through,\u201d Kromm said. \u201cThis was so inconsequential to me \u2014 $1.95. I figured I paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Yemen\u2019s Houthis declare naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, widening threat to global oil supplies<\/a><\/p>\n

A week later, supervisors summoned him to a labor office and informed him he was being fired for allegedly stealing the cookies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bargainer says, \u2018This is bad,’\u201d Kromm recalled. \u201cI said, \u2018For what?\u2019 They said, \u2018They want to terminate you for taking a cookie.\u2019 I was like, \u2018What are you talking about?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Kromm said he was immediately escorted from the plant and not allowed to retrieve his belongings.<\/p>\n

Days later, after asking a former co-worker to photograph the kiosk showing the cookie\u2019s correct price, Kromm found the matching $1.95 charge on his bank statement and sent screenshots to Ford and union officials.<\/p>\n

The company later demanded a notarized bank statement before reinstating him with full back pay.<\/p>\n

Despite being made whole financially, Kromm said he couldn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no apology. There was no serious, \u2018We\u2019re sorry,’\u201d he told The Post. \u201cI expected to work for Ford until I retired. \u2026 This was tremendously difficult for me, but I couldn\u2019t go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legal experts who spoke to The Post were divided over Kromm\u2019s prospects.<\/p>\n

New York civil litigation attorney Imran Ansari said Kromm \u201cmay certainly have successful claims against Ford for wrongful termination\u201d and argued the strongest aspect of the case may be a defamation claim because a false accusation of theft can cause lasting reputational harm. <\/p>\n

Ansari added Aramark could also face liability if it was responsible for the erroneous allegation that Kromm failed to pay.<\/p>\n

But Chicago trial lawyer Andrew Stoltmann was more skeptical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s going to be a pretty weak case. I won\u2019t say frivolous, but it is at least nearing that level,\u201d Stoltmann told The Post. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHe might be able to get a technical win, but I don\u2019t think there\u2019s going to be a jackpot of money for him at the end of the rainbow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stoltmann said Kromm faces an uphill battle because Ford reinstated him and made him financially whole, limiting the damages that typically drive wrongful-termination lawsuits.<\/p>\n

While Kromm may be able to argue that the theft accusation harmed his reputation, Stoltmann said the company\u2019s decision to offer him his job back likely mitigates much of that damage.<\/p>\n

Read more Unlicensed doctor arrested after NYC woman, 27, dies following anti-aging serum injection at holistic wellness center<\/a><\/p>\n

The Post has sought comment from Kromm, Aramark and the United Auto Workers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Ford electrician who was fired over an alleged $1.95 cookie theft despite later proving he paid for the snack has retained a lawyer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Ford worker who was fired after being falsely accused of stealing a $1.95 cookie lawyers up - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4947\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Ford worker who was fired after being falsely accused of stealing a $1.95 cookie lawyers up - 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