A federal judge in Michigan has ruled that IBM must face a lawsuit filed by a white male consultant who claims he was forced out to advance the company’s diversity goals.
U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou in Lansing denied IBM’s request to dismiss the case, allowing it to proceed to trial. The lawsuit, filed by former IBM employee Randall Dill, alleges that the company set racial and gender-based hiring targets and provided financial incentives to managers to meet them.
“Taken as true, Dill’s allegations plausibly support an inference that IBM improperly considers race or gender as a factor in employment-related decisions,” Jarbou wrote in her ruling. She was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump.
IBM has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Legal Battle Over Diversity Policies
Dill is represented by America First Legal, a conservative group founded by Stephen Miller, a former senior adviser to Trump. The group has filed multiple lawsuits challenging corporate diversity initiatives.
Andrew Block, an attorney for America First Legal, welcomed the ruling. “We look forward to continuing to litigate this case and fight for justice on behalf of our client,” he said.
In a similar case last year, a federal judge in Los Angeles rejected CBS’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit from a white screenwriter who claimed the network’s diversity policies prevented him from being hired for the show SEAL Team.
Debate Over Workplace Diversity
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies have become a divisive issue in the U.S. Trump has barred federal agencies and government contractors from adopting such policies and vowed to investigate businesses, schools, and nonprofits that implement them.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has warned that some common DEI programs, including diversity training, could be unlawful. Civil rights advocates argue these initiatives are necessary to address historical discrimination and ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws. However, critics, including Trump and his supporters, say such policies undermine merit-based hiring and are themselves discriminatory.
Allegations Against IBM
Dill claims that despite positive performance reviews throughout his seven-year tenure as a senior managing consultant, he was placed on an impossible-to-complete performance improvement plan in July 2023. He was subsequently fired later that year.
According to the lawsuit, IBM implemented race and gender quotas that influenced hiring and promotions. Dill also alleges that executive bonuses were partially tied to meeting these diversity goals, creating an incentive to remove white male employees.
With the judge’s ruling, the case will now move forward toward trial.
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