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The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

IBM Corporation

Cooper v. IBM (Pension Issues)

Date: 09/29/2004 (Date of Settlement)

Misconduct Type: Labor

Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental

Contracting Party: Non-Governmental

Court Type: Civil

Amount: $320,000,000

Disposition: Settlement

Synopsis: In July of 2003, IBM and a collection of plaintiffs collectively known as “Cooper” reached a partial settlement concerning pension issues. The remainder of the decision was made in Illinois District court, which decided that several aspects of IBM’s pension plan violated the Employees Retirement Income Security Act by discriminating against older employees. The settlement is originally set at $320 million, however, a pending appeal could increase the settlement by an additional $1.4 billion.