Accenture Ex-Manager Loses Appeal to Revive Racial Bias Suit

A Black former manager at Accenture lost his appeal to revive his case accusing the consulting giant of firing him in retaliation for complaining about race discrimination.

A three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that Jeffrey Johnson failed to provide sufficient evidence that his removal from certain projects or his termination were connected to his complaints of racial bias, even though the judges admitted the possibility that there was a connection.

“Johnson was indeed terminated because he had difficulty finding projects, and that did happen after he complained of racial discrimination,” Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, a Biden appointee, wrote for the panel. “But the record before us is insufficient to support Johnson’s argument that his complaint caused his difficulty getting staffed on projects and his termination.”

Johnson said in his suit that he was subjected to a hostile work environment after the employee of one of Accenture’s clients was combative and disrespectful and said they were intimidated by Johnson’s deep voice. Johnson sued Accenture after the company took him off the project and later fired him following a period of not performing client work.

The US District Court for the District of Northern Illinois granted Accenture summary judgment in 2023, ruling that Johnson hadn’t produced enough evidence to support his claims that racial animus played a role in his termination.

The case is Jeffrey Johnson v. Accenture LLP, 7th Cir., No. 23-01473, ruling 7/2/25.