"Ex-Ford employee awarded $17M in discrimination case", 5 Apr 2018

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...[A] federal jury...ruled that Faisal Khalaf was subjected to workplace discrimination and retaliation after he reported the abuse, the Detroit Free Press reported.   Khalaf was born in Lebanon and holds a PhD in industrial engineering.  He worked for the automaker for more than 15 years...The jury awarded Khalaf $15 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million in retirement and pension losses, and $100,000 for emotional distress for the actions of Ford supervisors Bennie Fowler and Jay Zhou.  A Ford representative said the company disagrees with the verdict and is pursuing options to get it “corrected.”...The harassment started when Khalaf was placed under Fowler’s supervision in 2012...Khalaf received frequent and unwarranted criticism and hostility over his ability to speak and understand English.  He was put into “demeaning” and “servile” positions, including being asked to bring Fowler coffee, according to the complaint...Khalaf was forced to take medical leave because of the workplace stress the following year.  He was terminated in 2015 after filing a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Michigan Department of Civil Rights...