The lawsuit alleges a hostile work environment that only intensified after his HR complaint
Walgreens faces a federal lawsuit alleging it fired an IT director after he flagged racial discrimination through the company's own HR department.
Sachin Sangamnerkar, described in court filings as an Asian individual of East Indian descent, filed the suit on February 10, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The case has been docketed as Sangamnerkar v. Walgreen Co., Case No. 1:26-cv-01522.
Sangamnerkar held the role of IT Director at Walgreen Co., joining the company on or around March 1, 2021. According to the filing, he met the company's reasonable performance expectations throughout his employment when those expectations were applied equally and without regard to race, national origin, or history of engaging in protected activity.
The filing alleges that despite this, Sangamnerkar was subjected to a hostile work environment on account of his race and national origin. Among the claims: his "English expression" ability was criticized, he was micromanaged considerably more than his similarly situated non-Asian, non-Indian coworkers, and he was excluded from important meetings and discussions. He also alleges he faced unfair and unwarranted work-related criticism and generally rude, hostile, and unprofessional treatment in front of others — none of which, the filing states, was directed at those comparable colleagues who had not raised concerns about race or national origin discrimination.
Sangamnerkar says he then did exactly what HR departments encourage employees to do: he reported it. He made a formal written complaint to Walgreen Co.'s Human Resources Department, explicitly alleging that the treatment was rooted in his race and national origin.
What followed, according to the filing, was an escalation. The hostile work environment allegedly intensified after his internal report, and Sangamnerkar was terminated on or around June 18, 2024, without reasonable cause or justification, the suit states.
The case brings five counts against Walgreen Co.: race discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, national origin discrimination under Title VII, race discrimination under Section 1981, and retaliation under both statutes. The retaliation claims allege the company punished Sangamnerkar for exercising his right to report workplace discrimination. He is seeking compensatory damages including lost wages and damages for emotional distress, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and equitable relief. A jury trial has been requested.
Prior to filing suit, Sangamnerkar brought a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency received the charge on August 12, 2024, and issued a notice of right to sue on December 5, 2025, after terminating its processing of the matter.
Walgreen Co. has not yet responded to the suit, and no determination has been made on the merits of the claims. The allegations remain untested in court.
