Black Employees Sue Google For a Pattern of Racial Discrimination

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. McCormack Law Firm is not involved in this case.

Google is one of many Silicon Valley tech companies that have faced allegations of a work environment that discriminates against employees based on their age, gender and race. All workers deserve to be treated fairly and equally in the workplace.

Unfortunately, many employers fail to take discrimination complaints seriously, sometimes even retaliating against those who speak up. Taking legal action enables workers to get their employer’s attention and urge them to change the company culture.

Two former Google employees filed a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of engaging in a pattern of racial discrimination against Black and minority employees. According to the complaint, Google denies people of color opportunities for advancement and ignores sexual harassment claims, among other wrongdoing.

April Curley, a Black woman, worked as a diversity recruiter at Google from 2014 to 2020. She was hired to recruit prospective employees from historically Black colleges and universities to improve the company’s diversity.

Curley was employed in an entry-level position even though her experience and qualifications exceeded the job requirements. During her six years at Google, she was not promoted despite bringing in more than 500 Black workers to the company. Additionally, the lawsuit said Curley witnessed people of color consistently being passed over for promotions and put in positions with no upward mobility.

Curley claimed Google’s efforts to increase diversity were nothing more than a public relations tactic. In fact, the company was allegedly underpaying, mistreating and discriminating against Black employees. The lawsuit claimed Google’s policies and systemic practices gave rise to racial bias. For example, Black employees were perceived to be not “Googly” enough.

When Curley expressed concerns about racial discrimination to her supervisors, she was ignored. Instead, Google reduced her pay and fired her in September 2020.

The other plaintiff in the lawsuit is Chloe Sledd, another former Google employee. She experienced sexual and racial harassment while working at the company. Human resources, however, failed to formally address her complaints.

Sledd allegedly faced retaliation, such as being transferred to a different department. She was eventually bullied into resigning from her job.

The lawsuit is seeking class-action status. More former employees of Google are coming forward with similar stories of a discriminatory work culture. Additionally, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has launched an investigation “based on the many allegations” of racial discrimination made by Black employees at Google.

Employees often do not realize what their rights are, and employers take advantage of that. If you suspect you are being subjected to racial discrimination at work, reach out to a San Francisco employment lawyer. You may be eligible to pursue compensation for the unlawful treatment. Contact McCormack Law Firm to learn more.