Ford Motor Co. sued by former employee over benefits

A man is suing his former employer over claims of retaliatory discharge.

James Baptist filed a lawsuit on Nov. 15 in the Circuit Court of Cook County against Ford Motor Co., citing unlawful retaliation for seeking benefits under the Workers' Compensation Act.

Baptist asserts he filed a claim for workers' compensation benefits after he suffered a work related injury on April 10, 2012. The complaint states Ford refused to sign off on Baptist's work restrictions, authorize time off, approve workers' comp benefits and made no effort to find alternative work for the plaintiff.

According to the complaint, Ford fired Baptist on Aug. 24, 2012. He claims he was terminated in retaliation for exercising his workers' compensation rights.

The plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $100,000, including punitive damages. He is being represented in the case by Chicago attorney Kent D. Sinson of Sinson Law Group.

Circuit Court of Cook County Case No. 2013L013095.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.