Fired Over a $1.95 Cookie, Ford Worker Kurt Kromm Lawyers Up

Kurt Kromm, a 60-year-old Ford electrician who spent 11 years at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, retained defamation attorney J. Will Huber on July 20, 2026, and is pursuing legal claims against both Ford Motor Company and Aramark the contractor whose own self-checkout kiosk system had logged his $1.95 cookie payment at 3:38 a.m. before reporting to Ford that payment had not been completed.

Overnight Shift, May 9: What the Kiosk Logged

The incident occurred during an overnight shift on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Kromm, who is diabetic, said his blood sugar had dropped to 60 and walked to the Aramark-operated snack market for a Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookie priced at $1.95. The first payment terminal flashed red with no clear confirmation. He moved to a second terminal. No green approval appeared, but a $1.95 charge cleared from his debit account at 3:38 a.m., according to bank records reviewed by reporter Phoebe Wall Howard at Shifting Gears.

Seven days later, on May 16, Kromm was summoned to the labor office. His UAW bargainer arrived and told him Ford was terminating him under a zero-tolerance theft policy. Aramark's surveillance system operated by the same company running the kiosk had captured Kromm with the cookie and no visible payment confirmation.

"I thought this all was a joke, at first," Kromm said. "They said they had zero tolerance for theft, and that this has happened to five people they've had to terminate. I looked at my rep and said, 'Really? Are you shitting me?'

He was escorted from the building. His Emergency Rescue Team gear including a helmet Ford had purchased for him after sending him to Detroit for training remained behind in a locker.

Payment Confirmed. Kromm Declined to Return.

On May 20, Kromm sent screenshots of his debit card transaction to Ford and his UAW representative. Ford required notarized bank statements before taking further action. He complied. On June 12, Aramark confirmed to Ford that the payment had in fact gone through. On June 17, Ford told Kromm he could return to work.

He declined. By that point, Kromm had secured new employment at $52.51 per hour plus a $10 hourly bonus up from his previous $48 rate at Ford at a workplace closer to his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He received two checks for lost wages totaling $28,000 by June 25, some reporting has cited the figure at approximately $33,000, and the exact final amount differs between sources.

"I'm thinking, this is the way my career at Ford Motor is going to end?" Kromm said. "There's no way I'm coming back. First you tell me I'm a thief and then you tell me I'm a liar for saying I didn't steal."

The Defamation Argument and What Aramark's Records Show

Huber, a Fort Mitchell, Kentucky-based attorney at Hemmer Wessels McMurtry PLLC who focuses on complex tort and defamation litigation, outlined the core of his case in a letter to Shifting Gears: "The accusations of theft made against him were absolutely false. The proof of his innocence was available to or in the possession of both Aramark and Ford from the very start."

That framing rests on the timeline. Aramark's kiosk system logged Kromm's $1.95 payment at 3:38 a.m. on May 9 the transaction record existed in Aramark's own database before the company's surveillance report reached Ford and the UAW, triggering Kromm's termination.

Huber addressed Ford's reinstatement offer directly: "Ford's belated offer to re-hire Mr. Kromm and his efforts to find substitute employment do not reverse the harm of being branded a thief. Kentucky law has held for decades that falsely accusing an employee of theft is defamatory per se. For statements that are defamatory per se, the law presumes Mr. Kromm's reputation has been damaged in fact."

Under Kentucky legal precedent, defamatory per se status means courts presume reputational harm without requiring a plaintiff to prove specific damages a significant threshold if claims proceed.

Ford Reviews 'Limited Instances' While Aramark Says Little

Ford spokeswoman Jessica Enoch told Shifting Gears: "We don't comment on the specifics of pending litigation. We are working to review the limited instances where Aramark kiosk issues have been raised."

Aramark's vice president of corporate communications, Chris Collom, issued a statement: "We understand the concerns these reports have raised and are reviewing the instances in question. We remain focused on operating with integrity and accountability." When asked specifically about Huber's involvement, Collom said: "You have our statement."

No formal retraction has been published by either company. Kromm said that silence has had real consequences: "I had people call me from work who said they all heard I was fired for stealing. You can't call somebody a criminal if they're not a criminal."

A Michigan Assembly Worker Faces the Same Claim

Kromm's case is not isolated. Nick Nabozny, 38, a nine-year Ford veteran and third-generation employee at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, was fired in mid-April 2026 over a disputed Aramark kiosk transaction involving Doritos and Ritz crackers valued under $8. Nabozny's payment records, reviewed by Shifting Gears, showed dozens of itemized Aramark transactions in 2026 alone.

The UAW confirmed both cases are under review. According to Shifting Gears and UAW official Mike Kerr's communication with Kromm as reported by multiple outlets Ford signaled it intends to revise its zero-tolerance kiosk policy, replacing automatic termination with a suspension period during disputed payment investigations.

Huber put the practical stakes plainly: "Workers say these kiosks have been failing for years, and nothing was done about it. Mr. Kromm happened to have the records to prove he paid. Most people don't."

Legal Claims in Motion, No Filed Suit Yet

As of July 21, 2026, no public lawsuit docket has been confirmed for Kromm versus Ford or Aramark. Huber has stated that legal claims are being pursued and that his investigation of both companies is ongoing.

Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant employs approximately 8,790 workers and builds the F-250 through F-550 Super Duty Truck, the Ford Expedition, and the Lincoln Navigator. The plant opened in 1969 and spans 500 acres in Louisville, the vehicles it produces generated $25 billion a year in revenue, according to Ford's own figures cited during the 2023 UAW strike. Kromm spent 11 of those years repairing robots and automated equipment, logging 60-hour weeks, and earning more than $200,000 in 2025.

"I earned over $200,000 last year. Why would I steal? I spent $1,200 last year in the canteen mainly on Diet Cokes," he said.

Huber confirmed that neither Ford nor Aramark has published a formal retraction, and neither has moved to correct the record with those who heard the original accusation a gap his legal team is now preparing to address.