Infosys ‘whistleblower’ Palmer files fresh lawsuit in US
04 Oct 2014
Jack Palmer, the former Infosys Ltd whistleblower responsible for starting a US investigation into the company's visa practices, has filed another lawsuit demanding damages for alleged wrongful termination.
In 2012, Palmer's lawsuit was dismissed, with US district judge Myron H Thompson ruling, "Judgement is entered in favour of defendants Infosys Technologies Limited Incorporated and Infosys Limited and against plaintiff Jack 'Jay' Palmer, Jr., with plaintiff Palmer taking nothing by his complaint. It is further ordered that costs are taxed against plaintiff Palmer, for which execution may issue." (See: Infosys' victory may have deterrent effect on similar lawsuits).
Palmer now wants compensation by alleging wrongful termination from his previous employer.
US national Palmer, who was employed by Infosys in Alabama, said in the lawsuit filed on Thursday with a New Jersey court that he had been discriminated against because he flagged that the company was flouting US visa rules.
The lawsuit did not specify how much in damages Palmer was seeking.
Last year, Infosys paid $34 million to end an investigation related to the occasional practice by Indian firms of flying workers to client sites in the United States on temporary visas.
US authorities, under their increasingly stringent rules, had been looking into Infosys' use of visas since 2011.
Palmer had previously tried to take Infosys to court, but his earlier case was dismissed in August 2012, with a second lawsuit, this time by an Indian employee, Satya Dev Tripuraneni, being settled in 2012 (Infosys settles second visa case in US).
Employment visas are a politically charged topic in the United States, especially those related to Indian IT services companies.
