Ex-Visteon Workers Sue Ford in U.K. Class Action

A court in London has granted class action status to lawsuits brought by former employees Visteon Corp. against Ford Motor Co.'s actions when it spun off the supplier in 2000.

The plaintiffs say Ford made misleading statements about the safety of transferring their pension plan to Visteon. After the supplier filed for bankruptcy in 2009, some of those workers lost their jobs, and some also lost a portion of their pensions.

The lawsuit was filed in January 2011 by the U.K.'s Unite labor union. The plaintiffs want Ford to restore benefits by paying 350 million ($249 million) to Visteon's pension fund.

Ford denies the claims, saying that Visteon was responsible for its decisions after the spinoff.