Google parent agrees to $310M settlement for suit on sexual misconduct of executives
Google’s parent company has already reached a $310 million settlement in a shareholder lawsuit over its treatment of allegations of executives’ sexual misconduct.
Alphabet Inc. said Friday that it'll prohibit severance packages for anybody fired for misconduct or may be the subject of a sexual misconduct investigation. A particular team will investigate any allegations against executives and are accountable to the board’s audit committee.
Thousands of Google employees walked unemployed in protest in 2018 following the NY Times revealed Android creator Andy Rubin received $90 million in severance despite the fact that several employees had filed misconduct allegations against him. Shareholder lawsuits followed, and in 2019 Google launched a board investigation over how it handles sexual misconduct allegations.
In January, David Drummond, the Alphabet’s legal chief, left lacking any exit package, following accusations of inappropriate relationships with employees. The business didn’t give a reason behind his departure, but claims against Drummond were contained in the board investigation.
With the settlement, Alphabet is pledging $310 million toward diversity, equity and inclusion programs over a decade. It is also establishing an advisory committee to monitor how it handles sexual misconduct allegations against its executives.
“This settlement can not only change and enhance the culture at Google, nonetheless it will set the typical for culture change at tech companies throughout Silicon Valley,” said Ann Ravel, an legal professional from Renne Public Law Group who led parts of the settlement negotiation.
The changes, and changes that had already been implemented at Google, such as ending mandatory arbitration for worker disputes, will be extended to all or any of Alphabet’s divisions. Mandatory arbitration requires employees to stay their disputes with the business privately and beyond court. The practice, widespread in US employment contracts, can lend itself to secrecy and has faced criticism.
Source: www.deccanchronicle.com
