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H-1B whistleblower files new federal lawsuit

H-1B whistleblower files new federal lawsuit

H-1B whistleblower Jay Palmer filed a civil lawsuit against Infosys, in another bid for damages over allegations of ill-treatment.

H-1B whistleblower Jay Palmer filed a civil lawsuit Thursday against Infosys, in another bid for damages over allegations of ill-treatment. It is Palmer's second attack in federal court, but it takes a new approach by citing the whistleblower protections in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Palmer was an employee of Infosys when he triggered a federal investigation into that company's use of B-1 visas, or visitor visas, for work that requires an H-1B visa. Infosys is an India-based IT offshore outsourcing company and one of the largest users of H-1B visas.

The investigation resulted in a $34 million settlement   last year with the U.S. by Infosys, the largest work visa-related settlement of its kind. In settling the lawsuit with the government, Infosys denied any wrongdoing.

Palmer, meanwhile, has been seeking justice for himself. He alleged that he was threatened and harassed for bringing this concern about Infosys' visa use to authorities. Those allegations were first made in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court in Alabama, Palmer's home state. Although the U.S. judge who heard the case said he was troubled by Palmer's allegations, he dismissed the case in 2012, citing the limits of "at will" employment law in Alabama.

Palmer's new lawsuit cites the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a law that established a series of financial reforms following the collapse of Enron, and other major companies. The suit also cites the anti-retaliation provisions of the False Claims Act, a law used in government fraud cases.

Last summer, Palmer filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor, citing Sarbanes Oxley. It was the first step in filing the federal lawsuit.

In the 24-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, Palmer renews the allegations made in the earlier case, namely that Infosys "punished" him by "blacklisting him, putting him on leave, denying him work, denying him promotions and bonuses, eventually demanding his resignation and denying him re-hire."

Palmer also alleges that he "received multiple death threats" related to his complaint about the visa use.

The lawsuit seeks "to fully, fairly and justly compensate [Palmer] for his injuries, damages and loss." It does not specify an amount.

Infosys was not immediately available for comment. In July, after Palmer's Labor Department complaint was revealed, the company described it as "a repetition of the issues that were tried and dismissed by a federal court in 2012."

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