A former senior executive at Honeywell is suing the Charlotte-based manufacturer, alleging she was unlawfully terminated because of her age and ethnicity.
According to a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Charlotte, Ji Li, who served as vice president and general counsel for Honeywell’s China operations, was dismissed shortly after turning 55. The company cited China’s mandatory retirement age, but Li argues that the rule does not apply to foreign employees and that Honeywell’s action violated the U.S. Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
The lawsuit also claims Honeywell denied Li severance pay and other financial compensation, despite no Chinese law preventing such benefits.
Li joined Honeywell’s China subsidiary in May 2019 as vice president and general counsel for its Aerospace Division in the Asia-Pacific region. Her role later expanded to include corporate operations, oversight of the China Steering Committee, and approval of business contracts worth billions of dollars. Court filings state she was recently promoted and set to take on an even broader role overseeing business practices across Asia, particularly in countries with regulatory risks.
Her employment history reflected strong performance and significant compensation. From 2019 to 2022, Li earned a base salary of more than $358,600, with total annual pay exceeding $798,000. After her 2022 promotion, her contract—scheduled to run through December 2024—raised her base salary to over $364,000 and her total annual compensation above $862,000.
But in late September, just nine days before her 55th birthday, Honeywell’s HR team in China informed her that her contract was ending due to the “mandatory” retirement age. The company offered her a one-year consulting role at roughly half her previous compensation, though she believed her existing contract remained valid through 2024.
In addition to age discrimination, Li accuses Honeywell of discrimination based on her Chinese ancestry, alleging the company selectively applied the retirement rule to her but not to other American employees of different ethnic backgrounds, a violation of the U.S. Civil Rights Act.
Honeywell, a global technology and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Charlotte, has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
