Workplace discrimination and data security collide as a nonprofit battles a former employee in court

A nonprofit’s dispute with a former employee spotlights workplace discrimination claims and data handling challenges, raising key compliance questions for HR professionals.

On November 3, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision in the ongoing dispute between CLASP, a nonprofit organization, and its former Senior Associate, Asif Hassan. The case is notable for its combination of workplace discrimination allegations and the management of electronic files at the end of employment.

CLASP alleges that, immediately before his termination, Hassan downloaded more than 26,000 files from the organization’s cloud storage, some of which contained confidential and proprietary information. According to the complaint, at least 1,330 of these files were transferred to Hassan’s personal hard drive and then deleted from CLASP’s server. CLASP claims these actions breached an employment confidentiality agreement and violated federal and D.C. trade secrets laws. The organization sought an injunction requiring Hassan to present all devices and accounts for a third-party forensic review and to delete any remaining CLASP materials.

Hassan, who was employed at CLASP for almost ten years, disputes these claims. In his counterclaim, he alleges that his termination and treatment were due to racial and religious discrimination. Hassan, who is Bangladeshi...

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