It has not even been two years since iGate CEO Phaneesh Murthy was sacked from the company for sexual harassment. The IT firm now finds itself in the midst of another row with legal head Mukund Srinath facing similar charges.
Karetha Dodd, former senior executive in iGate's legal department, has accused Srinath, who was her supervisor, of repeatedly propositioning her and sexually harassing her. She claims that when his advances were rejected by her, she was stripped of her responsibilities at work, was denied a promotion and was eventually forced to leave the company.
When contacted by The Times of India, iGate said: "We have completed a thorough investigation into this claim, and have found that it is unequivocally without merit. We intend to vigorously defend this action. Igate has a zero tolerance policy on harassment of any kind, and is committed to maintaining a caring and nurturing workplace."
The suit which was filed in a court in California had mentioned in detail the various 'acts' of harassment both in that city, where Dodd was based and in Bengaluru, where she had to travel for official reasons. The suit accuses iGate of not investigating her complaint properly. It also charges iGate of not doing enough to make sure that its executives, including Srinath, complied with its sexual harassment policies.
Dodd is being represented by Aiman-Smith & Marcy, the legal firm that had defended investor relations head Araceli Roiz in the case against Murthy. The lawyers are demanding compensation for lost wages and other damages apart from attorney fees. According to the suit, Dodd's annual compensation package was about $300,000.
