A Ford employee says he lost his job after being accused of stealing a $1.95 cookie, only for the company to later realize he’d actually paid for it.
60-year-old Kurt Kromm had worked at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant for 11 years, but told Shifting Gears he was fired after the company believed security footage showed him taking a cookie from the break room without paying.
Wrongful termination for sure, idk about defamation. I think it’d be hard to argue being accused of stealing a cookie actually hurt your reputation in any meaningful way.
If the employee isn’t ready to retire, being fired for theft of company property is something that will absolutely affect their reputation.