A whistleblower case contending that Indian IT company Infosys misused visas to bring in out-of-country workers for its Alabama operations was slated for federal court in September.
Shortly before Alabamian Jay Palmer’s case was due for court, a second case was filed by another ex-employee, also American, claiming he was harassed for pointing out possible visa misuse. Satya Dev Tripuraneni filed his complaint in federal court in California, Reuters reported.
The Indian news outlet FirstPost wrote, just before the Palmer trial: “Infosys has been tight-lipped about its defense, and once the trial begins, there’s no telling how it will pan out. But if the jury in Alabama winds up buying the argument that Infosys flouted visa laws and then shut up a whistle-blower, it could really damage Infosys. The company has a bulk of its business in the U.S.
“American companies certainly don’t want their name attached to an Indian outsourcer, which has employees on incorrect visas. According to Forrester analyst Stephanie Moore, Infosys clients were ‘examining their contractual exit clauses and making sure they are prepared to exit should the need arise, ’” First Post reported.
By Nedra Bloom
