The lawsuit, filed by a former Google employee on Friday, alleges that the company systematically discriminates against black employees and maintains a corporate culture that favors white men.
The lawsuit, filed by plaintiff April Kerley in federal court in San Jose, Calif., accuses Google of pushing black employees to lower positions, paying them less and denying them promotion opportunities, Reuters reported.
The complaint alleges that Google maintains a “racist corporate culture” that benefits white men.
Kerley also alleges that Google exposed black employees to a hostile work environment by forcing them to interrogate security at their California offices, Reuters reported.
Black employees make up 4.4 percent of Google’s workforce and about 3 percent of its executive and technology sectors, the lawsuit says, according to the Wire Service.
Kerli said she was hired by Google in 2014 to work on a program to work with historically black colleges, but according to Reuters, her employment was a “marketing ploy.” A former employee said her bosses were dismissive of her work and considered her an “evil” black woman.
She said she was fired from Google in 2020 after she and other colleagues began compiling a list of changes they hoped to see in the company, Reuters reported.
The Hill has reached out to Google for comment.
Kerley is represented by Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
The former employee is seeking damages, punitive damages and lost compensation for current and former black Google employees, as well as the restoration of their legitimate positions and seniority, reports Reuters.