by Selena Hill
November 6, 2026
Lockheed Martin To Pay $29.5M Settlement For Allegedly Discriminating Against White Employees
The Trump administration accused the defense contractor of discriminating against workers on the basis of race and sex.
Lockheed Martin is agreeing to pay $29.5 million to resolve federal allegations that its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives resulted in racial discrimination against white employees.
The settlement, announced on Nov. 3 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), includes $22 million payable to the federal government and approximately $7.5 million designated for more than 1,000 affected employees. The allegations center on Lockheed Martin’s Compensation Adder program, which was introduced in 2021 to reward the company’s top 20% of employees in each business area with additional salary increases. According to the Justice Department, human resources personnel pressured managers to adjust their selections based on race and sex. The Trump administration claimed it removed non-minority employees from consideration while adding minority employees to address demographic disparities...