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The only problem was that he had proof he'd paid. Despite that evidence, Ford continued to give him the runaround, which has ultimately led to the company getting a lot of bad PR, footing a bill for up to $33,000 in lost wages (only $28,000 confirmed), and trying and failing to hire Kromm back.

Kromm said that a representative for the United Auto Workers union urged him to apologize, but he refused because he hadn't stolen. Instead, he showed the company his debit card history. But it took two weeks to get a response, and the company said the statements had to be notarized. Understandably, this left Kromm very upset.

"I'm thinking, this is the way my career at Ford Motor is going to end? 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. They were so confident I'd stolen. And then I look in my checking account statement and the $1.95 is frickin' there," he told Shifting Gears (2) on Substack.

Ultimately, after the kiosk operator confirmed Kromm had paid, he was invited back, but opted out as he'd already found a higher-paying job. Now, some are urging Kromm to sue, while Ford told Shifting Gears, "There are times when we look into things and realize it could have been handled differently." (MoneyWise reached out to Ford for comment, but received no reply.)

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Kromm landed on his feet, but not everyone will be so lucky. And unfortunately, if an employer accuses you of theft, there may not be much you can do.

"Most employment in the United States is 'at-will,'" Aaron Hall (3), an attorney for business owners, told Moneywise. "At-will means an employer can let someone go for almost any reason, or no reason at all, including a reason that turns out to be mistaken or unfair."

Fairchild also said that if Kromm could prove Ford made a damaging statement about the theft to others outside the company, he could have a defamation claim "if this ruined his reputation or caused him to lose job opportunities."

Of course, even if Kromm did sue, there are other factors that could affect his claim.

"The case's value is complex given the alleged damages," Steven Shanker (5), litigation & corporate partner at Romano Law, told Moneywise. "In this case, the employee quickly accepted another position at higher hourly pay plus a bonus, which mitigates or eliminates lost‑wage damages."

Shanker explained that "any recovery might focus on short‑term wage loss, loss of seniority or benefits, reputational harm and emotional distress rather than long‑term earnings," and said the fact that Ford offered back pay could affect the damage analysis.

"In short, the employee likely has some rights and potential claims, but whether he has a robust, litigable case depends on what damages he can prove," Shanker said.

Someone like Kromm has a few options if they're falsely accused of something.

"What legal recourse an employee has depends heavily on the particular facts of the case and whether there is illegal conduct," she said, adding that most lawyers in this practice area offer free consultations, so fired workers have nothing to lose by getting the proper legal advice.