A recent lawsuit claims that an employee was terminated from his position after experiencing what he describes as discrimination based on his national origin and a hostile work environment. The legal complaint was filed by Christopher L. Knowles in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on March 18, 2026, naming Railinc Corp. as the defendant.
According to the filing, Knowles had been employed by Railinc Corp., a Delaware corporation with offices in Cary, North Carolina, from March 2, 2015 until January 15, 2025. He held the role of Senior Enterprise Monitoring Engineer at the company, which is described as the railroad industry’s largest single source of real-time interline rail data for North America. The complaint states that Railinc employed significantly more than fifteen people at the time of Knowles’s termination.
The document outlines that Knowles had a successful career prior to joining Railinc and continued to meet all work-related expectations during his ten-year tenure with no disciplinary incidents reported. However, it alleges that his relationship with Ganesh Suboramanian, who became head of Knowles’s team (the Infrastructure Services & Solutions or IS&S team), deteriorated in 2024. The complaint asserts this was motivated “at least in part” by Knowles not being part of what is described as a “non-American workforce.” It further claims that after Ganesh assumed control of the team, it became predominantly Indian in composition.
Knowles alleges he faced ongoing disparate treatment and harassment related to his national origin. He reports that out of fifteen team members in 2024/2025, ten were Indian, one Pakistani, one Chinese, and three American including himself. In August 2024, Knowles raised concerns about work conversations being conducted in Indian languages rather than English—a practice he says hindered collaboration—and states he was publicly mocked by Ganesh for doing so.
The complaint details further alleged mistreatment including public yelling by Ganesh and instructions not to communicate with coworkers or respond to messages. It also describes an incident where Knowles worked 103 hours in one week but was told meetings did not count toward those hours unless he was actively speaking—a situation Knowles argues violated labor standards.
According to the lawsuit, none of the Indian workers were treated similarly by Ganesh; instead, Knowles claims he was singled out due to not sharing their national background and for raising complaints about workplace practices. On January 15, 2025, Ganesh reportedly asked Knowles to leave a meeting for a discussion with Human Resources where his employment was terminated immediately without prior warning or performance review.
Knowles contends that upon his termination—one month short of qualifying for full Tier 2 annuity benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act—his position was filled by a non-American worker. He also alleges that all new hires on his team during his tenure were Indian and that candidates from the United States were not even scheduled for interviews.
The lawsuit brings two main claims: violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (alleging reverse discrimination) and wrongful discharge under North Carolina law. The filing states: “Ultimately, the Defendant’s treatment and termination of the Plaintiff was… motivated and based on his national origin and constituted impermissible discrimination under Title VII.” It further cites North Carolina’s Equal Employment Practices Act which prohibits employment discrimination based on national origin.
Knowles seeks compensatory damages under federal law including back pay, front pay, emotional pain and suffering; punitive damages; attorney’s fees; actual damages for lost wages and benefits; exemplary damages as allowed under state law; costs; interest; and any other relief deemed just by the court. He requests a jury trial for all matters related to this case.
The complaint is signed by William Woodward Webb of Edmisten & Webb Law in Raleigh, North Carolina. The case number is 5:26-CV-171.
Source: 526cv00171_Knowles_v_Railinc_Corporation_Complaint_Eastern_District_North_Carolina.pdf
