Google Sued for Allegedly Covering Up Sexual Misconduct AllegationsA shareholder said Alphabet's board of directions were directly involved.

ByMariella Moon

This story originally appeared onEngadget

serg3d | Getty Images via engadget

A shareholder for Google's parent company Alphabet hassuedthe tech giant, accusing it of covering up sexual harassment claims against some of its top executives. The lawsuit filed by shareholder James Martinsaid字母的博ard of directors, including Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt, were directly involved in the coverup. Martin supported his lawsuit with minutes from Alphabet board meetings in 2014 and 2016 concerning Andy Rubin and Amit Singhal, respectively. Both former Google executives left the company after sexual harassment complaints -- Rubin, in particular,receiveda $90 million exit package even though an internal investigation found the claims against him credible.

According toReuters, Martin's lawyers plan to put a focus on how the board's coverup cost the company hundreds of millions in damages. In addition to the massive exit packages the two former executives received, thousands of employees worldwidewalked outin November as a protest after the payouts were revealed.

The lawsuit is asking Rubin and other high-ranking execs to return their exit packages. It's also asking Alphabet to allow non-management shareholders to nominate at least three board members and to change its stock structure, which currently gives Page and Brin a supermajority voting share. In addition, it wants to end non-disclosure agreements and mandatory arbitrations that prevent sexual harassment claims from going public.

The last part may not be necessary, since Google chief Sundar Pichaiannouncedthe end of forced arbitrations after the November walkout. Pichai also promised to publish a publicly-disclosed sexual harassment transparency report and to provide a safe process for reporting sexual misconduct anonymously going forward.

Mariella Moon is an associate editor at Engadget.

Related Topics

Business News

Chef Gordon Ramsay Says There's a Simple Secret to Growing a Business. He'd Know—He Has 60 Restaurants.

The famed chef's newest restaurant venture, Ramsay's Kitchen, opens Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Legal

How Identical Twin Brothers Brought Down Drug Lord El Chapo's $2 Billion Empire

The incredible story of Jay and Pete Flores, who went from El Chapo's right-hand men to the informants who helped bring him down.

Business News

Who Is Ted Pick? Morgan Stanley's New CEO Has Been With the Company for 3 Decades

Ted Pick is replacing James Gorman, who has been CEO since 2010.

Business News

'Blood-Curdling Scream': FBI Investigating 'Attack' on Carnival Cruise Ship

The incident occurred on a Carnival Magic ship headed back to its port in Norfolk, Virginia.