Apple faces biased lawsuit against Indian engineer

Apple Inc. loses first round in discrimination case

The woman’s case in California state court is the latest in a string of allegations of bias in the workplace in Silicon Valley that have centered on the cultural prejudices of some South Asian technology workers. Cisco Systems Inc. Fighting a lawsuit filed by a California civil rights organization against a member of India’s so-called lower caste, known as the Dalit.

Anita Narayani Shulje is part of the Sindhi minority – she is a Hindu, now her ancestor in the Indus region of Pakistan. He alleges that his superiors and direct executives, both men, consistently excluded him from meetings when he invited his male counterparts, criticized him, micromanaged his work and denied him bonuses despite positive performance appraisals and important team contributions. .

Schulz claims that the directors’ animosity reflects discrimination on the basis of gender, racism, religious bigotry and national origin. Sindhi Hindu nationalism is known “for its technical prowess” and for its gender equality, he said, “which has further exacerbated the discriminatory behavior of managers.”

In a temporary ruling Wednesday, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Sunil R. Kulkarni has rejected Apple’s request to toss the case While not ruling on the merits of the case, Kulkarni said Schulz adequately supported his legal claims. Apple argued that its claims were not specific enough and were based on stereotypes.

But the judge rejected Schulz’s request to represent a class of female Apple employees who have been victims of job discrimination for the past four years. He agreed with Apple that it did not show a pattern of discrimination that could be applied to a wide range of groups.

It was not clear from the court docket whether the judge would hold a hearing on Thursday before giving a final verdict.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the Cisco case, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleges that two Indian employees of a San Jose-based company discriminated against a Dalit colleague on the basis of caste.

Cisco denies the claims, insisting it has “zero tolerance for discrimination.” It added that the lawsuit should be dismissed because caste is not a protected area under U.S. civil rights law.

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