A federal judge on Tuesday allowed a class-action lawsuit accusing telecommunications company Embarq Corp. of age discrimination and illegally canceling retirement benefits to move forward.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil denied most of a motion filed by the Overland Park-based company and its former wireless parent, Sprint Nextel Corp., seeking to dismiss the complaint.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., claims that Embarq and Sprint violated federal law protecting retirement benefits and seeks to have those benefits restored. Plaintiff attorneys estimated the class action would cover around 13,000 former Embarq and Sprint workers.

“We are disappointed that the court did not grant all the relief we requested, but we are gratified portions of the complaint have been found insufficient,” Embarq said in a statement.