Cognizant guilty of discrimination against non-Indians, rules US court; what company said on court order

A US court has found that Cognizant Technology Solutions engaged in discriminatory employment practices against non-Indian workers. The verdict came after a trial that began in 2013, where plaintiffs alleged the tech giant favored H-1B visa holders from India over local employees.
The jury awarded punitive damages to the plaintiffs, who claimed they were terminated after being replaced by "visa-ready" workers from India. The case centered on allegations of bias based on race and nationality, with plaintiffs asserting that Cognizant's policies and practices disproportionately impacted non-South Asian employees.

Cognizant vehemently denied the allegations and plans to appeal the verdict. The company stated that it provides equal employment opportunities for all and has a diverse and inclusive workplace. A Cognizant spokesperson said the company is disappointed with the verdict and plans to appeal. "Cognizant is disappointed with the verdict and plans to vigorously defend itself and appeal at the appropriate time. We provide equal employment opportunities for all employees and have built a diverse and inclusive workplace that promotes a culture of belonging in which all employees feel valued, are engaged and have the opportunity to develop and succeed. Cognizant does not tolerate discrimination and takes such claims seriously," a company spokesperson said.

The case began after three employees who identify as “Caucasian” claimed in a lawsuit that Cognizant made a practice of giving preference to South Asians in employment decisions. The plaintiffs alleged they were terminated after being “benched” with no work for five weeks and then replaced by “visa-ready” workers from India set to be deployed to US projects and assignments. Cognizant employed around 40,000 employees in the US.
A Bloomberg report claimed Cognizant had the highest number of H-1B visas of any US employer from 2013 to 2019, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services.