A former Google employee filed a class-action lawsuit in a San Jose, California, federal court Friday alleging systemic bias against black employees and a corporate culture preferring white males, Reuters reported.
The lawsuit, filed by April Curley, says Google places black employees in lower-level jobs, pays them less, and denies them opportunities to grow at the company, Reuters reported. Specifically, Curley states black people make up only 4.4% of employees and about 3% of leadership, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Google Handed Major Defeat In State AG Lawsuit Over Location Tacking)
Lawsuit claims Google pays black workers less – https://t.co/kbj0LNaO2L
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 19, 2022
Curley also said Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, required black people to show identification or else face questioning at the Mountain View, California campus, Reuters reported.
Curley said Google employed her in 2014 to plan an outreach program to black colleges, but that she was not promoted because her colleagues disparaged her work by framing her as an “angry” black woman, Reuters reported. She said she was fired in September 2020, Reuters reported.
“While Google claims that they were looking to increase diversity, they were actually undervaluing, underpaying and mistreating their Black employees,” Ben Crump, Curley’s attorney and civil rights lawyer, said, Reuters reported. Crump represented George Floyd’s family after a former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed him in May 2020.
Black employees at Google are being steered to lower-level jobs, paid less, and denied opportunities because of their race. We MUST put an end to Google’s pattern of discriminatory practices. We hope this lawsuit will bring much-needed accountability. https://t.co/XO71urUNvC
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) March 19, 2022
In the lawsuit, Curley is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and lost compensation for current and former black employees at Google, Reuters reported.