(DCWatchdog.com) – Marking another chapter in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the company’s diversity initiatives, IBM is facing a federal lawsuit after firing a white male employee just to meet racial and sex quotas.
America First Legal (AFL) filed the suit this week, accusing IBM of terminating its client to comply with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals, even though the employee had a strong performance record.
The lawsuit claims IBM’s actions violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race and sex, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which ensures equal protection under the law.
In June 2023, IBM placed Randall Dill on a Performance Improvement Plan, described as a “pretextual, vague, and unmeasurable” metric unrelated to his actual job duties.
By October 2023, Dill was fired, allegedly because he was both white and male—what AFL called a “double whammy.” Dill had been with IBM for seven years and was considered an “outstanding” employee.
In turn, Dill attempted to get answers from IBM’s Human Resources department but was met with silence. Last month, he filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Nevertheless, IBM denies the allegations. A spokesperson said, “These allegations are baseless, as neither race nor gender played any role in the decision to end this individual’s employment with IBM.”
“Discrimination of any kind has absolutely no place at IBM, we do not use hiring quotas and never have,” it read, without explanation why Dill was fired.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial on three counts, including violations of Title VII and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Dill is asking for compensatory damages, including back pay and punitive damages, for the stress and financial losses he endured after his firing.
“Employers across the United States should make employment decisions based solely on merit — not immutable characteristics that individual Americans cannot control,” said AFL executive director Gene Hamilton.
“No one should be discriminated against based on their race or sex, and we are committed to vindicating our client’s rights in court.”
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