Allegations of workplace discrimination and wrongful termination have been brought forward in a new federal lawsuit that raises questions about fair employment practices and religious tolerance in the technology sector. The complaint was filed by Kamrul Syed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on April 20, 2026, naming Professional Solutions Delivered, LLC as the defendant.
According to the filing, Kamrul Syed, a resident of Stafford, Virginia and former Senior Systems Administrator at Professional Solutions Delivered (ProSoDel), claims he was subjected to wrongful termination, unlawful disparate treatment, and a hostile work environment due to his race (South Asian), national origin (Bangladesh), religion (Islam), and for opposing alleged unlawful employment discrimination. The suit cites violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the Virginia Human Rights Act.
The background provided in the complaint outlines that Mr. Syed began working for ProSoDel in August 2021 under a subcontract with Chugach Information Technology. During his tenure until May 2023, Mr. Syed alleges he faced discriminatory conduct from supervisors and colleagues. Notably, he reports that Christian prayers were conducted during mandatory staff meetings at a U.S. Marine Corps facility where he worked—a practice which made him feel uncomfortable but did not affect his job performance.
Mr. Syed identifies several supervisors during his employment who allegedly treated him differently than white Christian colleagues. The complaint specifically names Markella Countouroudas as displaying discriminatory animus towards him because he is Muslim and South Asian: “Ms. Countouroudas frequently accused Mr. Syed of being dishonest without any basis and scrutinized his time and attendance far more strictly than his white Christian colleagues.” Mr. Syed further claims that requests for telework or paid time off were met with unusual requirements not imposed on others.
The filing describes how Mr. Syed reported these concerns to company leadership in January 2023 but was encouraged by Chief Operating Officer Jason McCoy to drop his complaint because Ms. Countouroudas was new to her position: “Mr. McCoy encouraged Mr. Syed to drop his complaint against Ms. Countouroudas, saying that they needed to give her some ‘leeway’ because she was new in her position.” Despite this assurance, Mr. Syed alleges that discriminatory behavior continued.
Further incidents detailed include an episode where Ms. Countouroudas allegedly told another colleague she believed Mr. Syed did not respect women because he is Muslim—a claim described as unfounded by Mr. Syed—and subsequent administrative actions taken against him after renewing his complaints in April 2023.
The lawsuit also notes that ProSoDel changed Mr. Syed’s supervisors multiple times before ultimately assigning Joshua Crider—who previously expressed negative views about Muslims—to oversee his substantive duties despite earlier warnings from Mr. Syed about their history.
On May 10, 2023, following what Mr. Syed describes as targeted assignment changes preventing him from working remotely during an outage period (while others were allowed), he was placed on “Administrative Leave without Pay,” a category reportedly created solely for him according to the filing: “ProSoDel had to make up this code to be able to single out Mr. Syed from the rest of ProSoDel’s employees and deny him pay.” He was terminated days later with the stated reason being elimination of his billet—a rationale disputed by Mr. Syed since similarly situated employees were not let go.
Throughout his employment at ProSoDel, Mr. Syed states he received positive performance ratings and no formal discipline or negative reviews prior to termination.
The legal arguments set forth allege violations under both federal law (Title VII) and state law (Virginia Human Rights Act) including wrongful termination based on protected characteristics; retaliation for opposing discrimination; disparate treatment; harassment; and failure by ProSoDel management to address or correct discriminatory conduct even after internal complaints were raised.
Mr. Syed seeks judgment against Professional Solutions Delivered on all counts with requests for lost wages and benefits; compensatory damages; pecuniary damages; punitive damages; an amount equal to taxes on any award; pre-judgment and post-judgment interest; costs; attorney’s fees; and any additional relief deemed just by the court.
The case is identified as Case No. 1:26-cv-1074 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia with attorney Cathryne Watson of Alan Lescht & Associates representing the plaintiff.
Source: 126cv01074_Syed_v_Professional_Solutions_Delivered_LLC_Complaint_Eastern_District_Virginia.pdf
