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A former Wells Fargo executive is suing the bank in federal court in Charlotte, claiming discrimination and retaliation forced him into early retirement after almost 40 years with the bank.
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Robert Propst, a 63-year-old Rowan County resident, filed the civil lawsuit Aug. 10 in federal court for the Western District of North Carolina. Propst, who is white and gay, was forced out of his $296,000-a-year job because of hostility toward his age, sexual orientation, visual disability and advocacy for Black colleagues, he alleged in the suit.
Wells Fargo disputes the allegations and intends to defend against them, according to a spokesman. Propst’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Propst joined First Union in 1985, a bank that later became Wachovia and eventually Wells Fargo. The San Francisco-based bank’s largest employment hub is in Charlotte. Propst rose through the ranks to become a senior vice president and consistently earned top performance ratings, according to the lawsuit.
His work also included successfully leading teams to resolve major regulatory problems, such as helping the bank clear a major government consent order in 2021, according to the lawsuit.
That effort began after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an order against Wells Fargo in September 2016 for widespread sales misconduct, which included workers opening unauthorized accounts to meet aggressive quotas.
Since 2016, Propst has lived with an impairment that severely limits his vision, especially at night or in bad weather. The bank placed him on medical disability three times and formally recognized his impairment after he returned to work in 2017.
During this time, Wells Fargo formally approved accommodations such as extra-large monitors and a fully remote work arrangement to spare him a 100-mile round-trip commute to his Charlotte office, according to the lawsuit.
More details about discrimination claims against Wells Fargo
Following the 2016 CFPB order, the bank created a Rebuilding Trust Office in 2017 to manage consent order mandates. Propst served as its initial leader, directing a team composed mainly of Black employees.
Their work led to the order being lifted in 2021, according to the lawsuit. Later, his team was tasked with handling additional bank regulatory issues, including work tied to a formal enforcement order.
In fall 2022, Propst and his team were reassigned to report to a new supervisor based in Chicago. She expressed skepticism about his team and repeatedly refused to meet his Charlotte-based staff in person. Propst was also pressured by the new supervisor to end his remote-work accommodation, the lawsuit stated.
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Propst claimed he traveled to Chicago in October 2022 at his own expense to meet with his supervisor to address his team’s marginalization and explain how his team’s work was handled.
The supervisor made several age-related comments to Propst, the oldest member of her leadership team, asking if he was the oldest and suggesting it might be time for him to retire, according to the lawsuit. She also said she would not support his leadership of Wells Fargo’s PRIDE employee group because it needed younger leaders, the suit added.
During a Zoom call, she met Propst’s Black husband and appeared surprised and disapproving, allegedly saying his race “wasn’t what she expected.” She later made sarcastic remarks about her “diversity numbers” improving after taking over Propst’s team and treated Black team members differently, according to the lawsuit.
Alleged retaliation at Wells Fargo bank
Propst repeatedly challenged this behavior and filed complaints with human resources and bank leadership regarding race discrimination, interference with disability accommodations, and age-related hostility, according to claims in his lawsuit.
Despite earning high performance ratings that consistently met or exceeded expectations for over 38 years, Propst received an “Inconsistently Meets Expectations” rating in mid-2023 — his first negative rating. In late August 2023, Propst said he was pushed out of his job and forced into early retirement, despite his plan to continue working until turning 67 in April 2027.
Wells Fargo filled his position with a straight white man approximately 20 years younger without publicly posting the role, according to Propst’s suit. His replacement was later investigated and left the company after making racially offensive comments to Propst’s former team, the lawsuit noted.
Propst is alleging the bank violated state law for termination due to his age and disability, and in retaliation for his actions regarding race, sex and sexual orientation.
He also claimed his federal civil rights were violated after Wells Fargo retaliated against him for opposing race discrimination, his interracial marriage and his support for Black employees. Additionally, he claimed the company was aware of his manager’s discriminatory behavior through employee complaints, but failed to properly supervise or discipline her.
He is seeking a jury trial and damages, including more than $1.2 million in estimated lost wages, as well as compensation for emotional distress, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
This story was originally published August 14, 2026 at 2:05 AM with the headline “Former Wells Fargo VP in Charlotte sues bank, claims age and LGBTQ discrimination.”
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