Lockheed Martin paying $29.5M settlement after allegedly discriminating against white workers

Key Points:

• Lockheed Martin has agreed to pay $29.5 million to settle claims by the Trump administration that it discriminated against white workers in a diversity-focused bonus program, including $22 million to the US government and $7.5 million to affected employees.
• The settlement resolves allegations that Lockheed Martin violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by pressuring managers to adjust bonus nominations based on race, removing nonminorities and adding minorities to meet diversity goals.
• The case was triggered by whistleblower Tim Booher, a former Lockheed Martin VP who resigned over the alleged illegal discrimination and received $4.4 million under the False Claims Act for his role in exposing the issue.
• This settlement is part of a broader Trump-era initiative using the False Claims Act to challenge diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices among federal contractors, with similar settlements reached with IBM, Deloitte, and Accenture.
• EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, a critic of DEI policies, led the investigation and emphasized that Title VII protections against race discrimination apply regardless of whether decisions are framed as diversity initiatives.