A former vice president of product management at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Texas claims the financial firm unlawfully retaliated against him after he complained about race and national origin discrimination, according to a federal lawsuit filed this month.
Prafull Khare, an Indian citizen, was employed at one of JPMorgan’s administrative offices in Plano through an H-1B visa sponsorship. He began working on cloud networking and security products in January 2023, according to the lawsuit.
Khare alleges that his supervisors disliked him because he was an Indian immigrant and that the discrimination escalated after he raised concerns. The H-1B visa program allows foreign workers with at least a bachelor’s degree to work in the U.S. for a few years, with the option to extend their visa as they progress through the employer-sponsored green card application process.
There were more than 470,000 eligible registrations for H-1B visas for fiscal year 2025, but only 120,000 were selected through the lottery system, according to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Khare claims that his work assignments did not align with the duties outlined in his visa application, and he was given tasks with unrealistic deadlines and misrepresented completed work. He expressed concern that these assignments could jeopardize his visa status.
One supervisor allegedly assigned Khare tasks related to data product management and business intelligence activities, which require prior approval from the U.S. Department of Labor for foreign workers. Khare voiced his concerns to executives, accusing them of putting him under undue scrutiny and misrepresenting his performance. He stated that the supervisors were setting him up for failure because of his Indian origin.
In response, executives denied conspiring against Khare, attributing the issues to communication failures. However, after Khare complained about the perceived discrimination, he alleges that JPMorgan retaliated by firing him in April, during the final days of his probationary period.
Khare was earning a base annual salary of $180,000 and a $40,000 annual bonus. He is seeking back pay and damages through the lawsuit.
Rod Tanner, Khare’s attorney, stated that Khare is actively pursuing other employment opportunities and hopes to remain in the U.S. “Their future hinges on this,” Tanner said. “Khare enjoys working and living in the U.S. and hopes to continue to do so.”
A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing the bank’s practice on pending litigation, but emphasized the company’s commitment to non-discrimination. “There is no place for bias, prejudice or discrimination in our company, ever,” the spokesperson stated. “It is unacceptable and does not reflect our standards for how we treat our employees or serve our clients and communities.”