Infosys faces another lawsuit in United States

Former immigration head Erin Green sues IT major

Infosys, the second-largest IT services company, is facing legal heat in the US as its former head of immigration filed a lawsuit for alleged employee discrimination and retaliation by senior management.
Erin Green, who joined Infosys in 2011 and headed immigration in the US, filed a lawsuit on June 19 before a US district court in the Eastern District of Texas, seeking a trial by a jury.

Green’s case is handled by Kilgore & Kilgore, PLC, a law firm based out of Texas and DH accessed the filing. The mail to the law firm on the next step to be taken is still awaiting response. When contacted regarding the legal proceedings by the former US employee, the company said, “Infosys does not comment on ongoing litigation.”

Questions discrimination

According to the complaint, Green questioned discrimination against non-Asian employees at the company. Green resigned from Infosys last year and now works with Arnall Golden Gregory LLP based out of Atlanta as counsel. Before joining Infosys, Green also worked as Head of US Immigration Department at Kan-Tor & Acco for three years and Served as Senior Associate at EY for one year.

Green, during his stint at Infosys, reported to senior executives Vasudeva Nayak, who was the head of global immigration and Binod Hampapur, who was the executive vice-president and global head of talent and technology operations of Infosys.

Infosys is facing the complaint of Green at a time when the Chief Executive Officer Vishal Sikka is focussing on local hiring as the new Trump-led US administration put visa restriction and mooted ‘Buy American and Hire Amarican’ policy.

Sikka recently outlined his strategy for local hiring by committing to recruit 10,000 employees in the coming two years. Commenting on the development, T V Mohandas Pai, former board member of Infosys, said the filing of lawsuit by Green against the company will not have any bearing on the company's intent to expand in the US. “The filing of lawsuit by Green against Infosys alleging employee discrimination will not have any bearings on the company's intent to hire 10,000 Americans in the next two years,” Pai said.

Not first time

This is the second time that Infosys is facing discrimination charges. In 2013, four former employees of the company had filed similar lawsuit against the company alleging discrimination based on ethnicity.

Aston Business School, UK, Doctoral Research Scholar Sanjoy Sen said claims of discriminatory behaviour against Indian IT companies lodged by individuals of non - Indian origin are likely to get the benefit of public sentiment in the US and more attention than they deserve in the current environment of heightened anti-immigration approach to policy.