BETHESDA, MARYLAND — The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced a two-part settlement against Lockheed Martin Corporation on Wednesday. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company agreed to pay approximately $29.5 million to resolve allegations relating to employment discrimination and related false certifications of compliance with federal civil rights laws while serving as a federal contractor.

Under the agreement with the Justice Department, $22 million will be paid to the United States to resolve allegations that Lockheed violated the False Claims Act. These allegations arose from failures to comply with anti-discrimination requirements in its federal contracts and by discriminating against employees and applicants on the basis of their race or sex. The Justice Department’s settlement resolves allegations that from 2019 to the present, Lockheed falsely certified compliance with conditions requiring contractors to provide equal opportunity and not discriminate based on race or sex.

Approximately $7.5 million will be paid to over 1,000 affected Lockheed employees pursuant to a negotiated settlement agreement with the EEOC. This payment resolves a 2025 Commissioner’s Charge filed by EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who was appointed as the commission's acting chair by Donald Trump in 2025. The 2025 Commissioner’s Charge alleged Lockheed violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by engaging in race discrimination against white employees, including in performance assessments and in bonus and other compensation decisions.

Former Vice President Tim Booher will receive $4,400,000 from the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The claims resolved by the United States Department of Justice and United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A said, "Federal contractors must certify that they will make employment decisions — including decisions on how to compensate their hard-working employees — without regard to race or sex, and putting a thumb on the scale in hiring, promotion, and compensation decisions based on race flies in the face of that requirement." Associate Attorney General Stanley E added, "Companies, especially those that do business with the federal government, should not make DEI compensation decisions that prioritize an employee’s race over the merit of their work."