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Deloitte agrees to pay $21.5 million to resolve DOJ diversity investigation

The consulting firm denied liability while resolving federal and state allegations over its hiring and promotion practices.

The short version

  • Deloitte agreed to pay $21.5 million to settle a Department of Justice probe alleging race and sex discrimination in its federal contract hiring and promotion practices.
  • The professional services firm did not admit liability and stated it settled to avoid lengthy litigation costs.
  • Deloitte also agreed to pay $1.2 million to Indiana in a separate state-level settlement regarding similar nondiscrimination claims.

Key facts

  • Deloitte agreed to pay $21.5 million to settle Department of Justice allegations of race and sex discrimination in its hiring and promotion under federal contracts.[Business Insider]
  • Deloitte did not admit liability as part of the federal agreement.[Business Insider]
  • Deloitte separately agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle non-discrimination allegations with the state of Indiana.[Business Insider]
  • In early 2025, Deloitte scaled back some diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and requested certain staff remove pronouns from email signatures.[Business Insider]
  • IBM reached a similar $17 million settlement with federal authorities in April without admitting wrongdoing.[Business Insider]

Sources