A US district court hearing a lawsuit filed by a former employee alleging visa abuse by Infosys Technologies has ordered for a mediation conference to be convened on July 24 to try to resolve the case,a development that may open a window to its early disposal. Former Infosys employee Jack Palmers case against the IT major is scheduled to go to trial end of next month. Mediation conferences are typically an alternative way to resolving disputes,in which a third party assists to negotiate a settlement. An Infosys spokesperson said,Our US office was informed about this development this morning. This is a standard procedure in most civil cases in the US. Through this,the court will try to resolve the conflict. Depending on the outcome we will take the next step. Last November,federal judge Myron Thompson had ruled that Palmers lawsuit will remain in the courts. At that time,Palmers lawyer Kenneth J Mendelsohn in response to an emailed query had said the lawsuit against Infosys will not go to arbitration as requested by Infosys. Palmer,who has been working with Infosys since 2008,had filed a complaint with the Alabama State Court last year in February alleging that Infosys has been using the cheaper B-1 visa programme to send lower-level and unskilled employees to the US for long-term work instead of H-1B,the appropriate visa for such work. H1-B visas are more expensive and difficult to get compared with B-1 visas,which are issued to business visitors. Palmer had alleged that while being employed as an Infosys consultant,he uncovered evidence of fraud in the procurement of H-1B visas for speciality workers. FE
