Google employees participate in a walkout to protest how the tech giant handled sexual misconduct in Mountain View, California, on Nov. 1, 2018. The mass walkout was sparked by a recent New York Times report that claimed Google gave millions of dollars to some executives in secret exit packages after they were accused of sexual misconduct. Photo: Michael Short/Bloomberg
Recent shareholder lawsuits against Google parent company Alphabet Inc. mark the latest of a new approach in tackling sexual harassment allegations in the #MeToo era.
The lawsuits, both filed in San Mateo Superior Court in California, accuse Alphabet board members of breaching their fiduciary duty by covering up a lengthy pattern of gender discrimination and sexual harassment perpetrated by Google executives. Such activity, the derivative suits allege, had adverse impact on company profits and ability to hire and retain top talent and also exposed it to lawsuits and regulatory action.
