Whistle-blower may settle only if Infosys admits guilt

Jack Palmer, who is suing Infosys in the US for visa fraud and harassment says he is open to a settlement but only after an admission of guilt from the IT bellwether.

CNBC-TV18's Shreya Roy reports that Infosys maintains it is confident of the merits of the case and has not made any offer of settlement from its end. Also watch the accompanying video
Jack Palmer, an US-based Infosys employee whi accused the company of visa fraud and harassment last year, has changed track.
In 2011, Jack Palmer had sworn to take Infosys to court, without a shot at settlement. A year on, he appears to have had a change of heart. He's open to a settlement now. Palmer and Infosys will try to negotiate an agreement on July 24, as ordered by a federal court in his civil case.
But this olive branch comes at a price- an admission of guilt from Infosys.
Kenneth Mendelsohn, attorney for Jack Palmer, says, "If Infosys can't see they did wrong, we probably won't settle." Also Read: Infosys likely to pare FY13 revenue growth forecast
Mendelsohn claims his client proved his accusations through Infosys' own employees and other documents in June. He hopes Infosys will take this into account as the two parties begin the mediation process.
"We have now proved through Infosys' own witnesses including their HR and corporate counsel, that Palmer did the right thing… witnesses have confirmed that he should not have had to suffer retaliation as a result of it," adds Kenneth Mendelsohn, attorney for Jack Palmer.
Infosys, in a reply to a CNBC-TV18 query, states, "We remain confident of the merits of the case. And for that reason we have not made any previous offer of settlement. However we welcome the judge's direction to have both parties meet in confidence and mediate the case because we believe there is always something to be gained by this process."
"While we approach mediation with an open mind, our decision to participate does not indicate any movement from pour previous stance that Infosys has not retaliated against Palmer for bringing any suspected incident to the company's attention. If mediation fails, then we are prepared to defend that stance in court."