BlackBerry says complainant’s job loss wasn’t discriminatory or retaliatory

The BlackBerry logo located in the front of the company's C building in Waterloo, Ont. on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Ryan

BlackBerry Ltd. is fighting court claims from a former employee who says she lost her job after complaining the company’s CEO sexually harassed her and then retaliated against her.

New documents the Waterloo, Ont.-based technology firm filed in a U.S. court allege Neelam Sandhu has presented no evidence that shows her departure was discriminatory, retaliatory, or improper.

BlackBerry maintains Sandhu was let go because of a major restructuring and not because she complained after CEO John Giamatteo allegedly invited her to dinner, caressed her hand and tried to put his arm around her waist.

Sandhu, who was once BlackBerry’s chief marketing officer, has painted her interactions with Giamatteo as part of a broader pattern where at least three women were allegedly fired after reporting the tech firm had a “boys’ club” culture.

BlackBerry says she has no basis to draw similarities between the other women and herself and says the court should not treat the handful of experiences she pointed to as proof of a pattern.

None of the allegations in the filings have been tested in court.

Sandhu originally pursued the case under the name Jane Doe but dropped the pseudonym after a judge said she needed to seek permission to use the moniker.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2026.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press