Daimler Truck Sues Ex-Fleet Manager Over Alleged $3.8M Embezzlement
Daimler Truck North America, the Portland-based company behind the Freightliner and Western Star truck brands, has filed a lawsuit accusing a former employee and his wife of embezzling nearly $3.8 million over five years, FreightWaves reports.
These are allegations in a civil lawsuit. No court has ruled on them, and FreightWaves says it has not independently checked the claims in published reports against the complaint itself.
What the lawsuit claims
According to FreightWaves, the lawsuit was filed Oct. 12 in Washington County Circuit Court in Oregon and names the former employee and his wife as defendants. Court records reviewed by FreightWaves show the case remains open.
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Daimler is seeking about $6.6 million in damages, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive, as cited by FreightWaves.
Published reports say the man worked in Daimler's test fleet operations in Portland from 2016 until November 2025, when, according to those reports, he was fired after the company discovered what it described as suspicious financial activity.
The company alleges he used corporate credit cards and falsified expense reports to pay for personal costs, including vacations to Europe, Las Vegas and Legoland, along with landscaping, household services, child care and restaurant deliveries.
The lawsuit also accuses him of using company fuel cards for personal purchases and of directing contractors to bill Daimler for construction and landscaping work done at his home in Hillsboro, Oregon.
His wife allegedly took part by using company credit cards for personal purchases and handing him receipts that were used in falsified expense reports, according to KOIN's reporting on the lawsuit, as cited by FreightWaves.
What comes next
FreightWaves says it has requested a copy of the original complaint from the court. Its report did not include a response from the defendants.
FreightWaves noted that the case "raises questions about internal financial controls" at one of North America's largest commercial truck manufacturers.
A question for readers
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Sources
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