An Egyptian-born engineer is suing his former employer, Daimler Trucks North America, for $2 million -- claiming his supervisor often called him "bin Laden" and suggested he was a member of al-Qaida in front of co-workers or clients.
Hussein Y. Fouad's lawsuit -- which was filed Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court -- is the latest in a series of lawsuits accusing the U.S. unit of the German company of racially hostile work conditions in Portland.
In January, Daimler agreed to pay a record $2.4 million to settle complaints filed by six former workers who said they were the targets of racist or homophobic slurs, Nazi graffiti and threats at the company's Western Star truck manufacturing plant on Swan Island. One African-American employee reported that a co-worker waited for him in the parking lot with a noose.
In February, four African-American current or former employees filed a $9.5 million lawsuit against Daimler, claiming they were targeted with nooses, greeted with a "Heil Hitler" salute or otherwise harassed on the job.
In Tuesday's lawsuit, Fouad claims that he worked for the company for 21/2 years -- from 2012 to 2014 -- as a Mechatronics PowerNet engineer. His suit states that he was recognized for saving the company more than $1 million a year for suggesting the company use aluminum wire instead of copper wire in some of its electrical connections.
The suit claims that Fouad, 75, received a positive performance review in his first year, but after receiving a new supervisor, his work situation rapidly deteriorated. His suit claims that his supervisor repeatedly asked him his age in front of co-workers, asked when he planned to retire, mocked his accent and suggested that he was sympathetic with Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
Despite Fouad's strong job performance, his supervisor put him on a "performance improvement plan" as part of a mission to get rid of Fouad, the suit says. Four months later, he was fired.
Fouad, who lives in Clark County, is seeking $1 million in lost wages and benefits, plus $1 million for emotional distress.
Daimler spokesman Dave Giroux declined to comment about the allegations, saying the company doesn't comment on pending litigation.
But Giroux said the company has cooperated with a state investigation into all of the above-referenced complaints of discrimination, including Fouad's. Fouad is one of five current or former workers whose complaints were investigated, but is not part of the $2.4 million settlement.
Giroux offered the following statement:
"Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) that concluded the civil rights complaints filed last year by six former employees of DTNA's Portland Manufacturing Plant as well as the BOLI Labor Commissioner's complaint.
DTNA has fully cooperated with the BOLI investigation, including providing access to current and former employees and supervisors and access to documentation pertaining to these civil rights complaints.
The five additional complainants withdrew their BOLI complaint filings prior to DTNA's settlement or BOLI's final ruling.
As per company policy, DTNA will not comment or speculate on pending or active legal proceedings."
Portland attorney Anne Foster is representing Fouad.
-- Aimee Green
503-913-4197