Lawsuit challenges layoffs at FDA, other HHS agencies

Vid Desai was serving as FDA’s chief information officer on April 1 when he, along with about 10,000 other HHS employees, learned he’d been laid off. Like many others, the “reduction-in-force” notice Desai received was riddled with factual errors.

On Tuesday, Desai became one of seven current or former HHS employees to file a class-action lawsuit against the federal government. The plaintiffs allege that HHS, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and senior White House officials knowingly relied on flawed personnel records to identify low performers who were targeted for termination...