Former Red Hat employee alleges 'anti-white' discrimination in lawsuit against Raleigh company

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Idaho by Allan Kingsley Wood claims he was “a victim of Red Hat’s discriminatory employment policies.”

According to the suit, Wood is white and worked for Red Hat from 2015-2023. It states he was terminated on Sept. 20, 2023.

Wood alleges Red Hat discriminated against him due to his race, color, religion and gender.

A Red Hat spokesperson provided a written statement to the claims made in Wood’s lawsuit.

“These allegations are baseless, as neither race nor gender played any role in the decision to end this individual’s employment with Red Hat," the spokesperson wrote. "Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated by Red Hat or IBM, and it has no place in the cultures or practices of either organization.”

Wood’s lawsuit claims Red Hat seeks to have women represent 30% of its U.S. workforce by 2028. It also says the company seeks to have “30% associates of color” in the U.S. by 2028.

“Red Hat made express statements, both vocally and in writing at company events, that were derogatory towards white individuals and presented an anti-white agenda,” the lawsuit states. “Red Hat also remarked on the low number of women employed and expressed anti-male rhetoric.”

In April 2023, Red had announced it would lay off 4% of its staff, which was about 800 people.