By Benedict Collins
Publication Date: 2026-04-14 13:53:00
- IBM will pay $17 million in a settlement with the US government
- The government alleged that IBM pursued discriminatory DEI policies
- IBM said it was taking measures to remove DEI policies while also denying it had any
IBM is set to pay over $17 million in a settlement after the Trump administration claimed the firm had discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The settlement is the first successful claim made under the ‘Civil Rights Fraud Initiative’, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has claimed.
The total payment includes civil penalties and $8.2 million in restitution to the government.
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Trump continues anti-DEI push
The Trump administration introduced the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative in May 2025. The initiative allows the government to pursue federal funding recipients for damages and civil penalties by treating DEI policies as a ‘false claim’ under the False Claims Act of…
