Court Rules in Favor of Class of Discriminated Google Applicants

On June 7, 2019, the Santa Clara County Superior Court held a hearing in which he ruled in favor of the class of Google applicants who were discriminated against on the basis of their political viewpoint, gender, and race. The court denied Google’s two motions—(1) a Demurrer to or Motion to Strike Class Allegations; and (2) a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings—attacking portions of Plaintiffs’ claims.

Read the official court ruling from June 7, 2019 here.

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The court overruled Google’s demurrer regarding the supposed Political Subclass claims, and denied Google’s alternative motion to strike the allegations supporting those claims, since the burden to show that certification of the Political Subclass is appropriate rests with the Plaintiffs. In addition, Google’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings was denied because an applicant did not satisfy the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s administrative exhaustion requirement with regard to his allegations on behalf of Asian job applicants.

Plaintiffs’ case will now move forward, with discovery on the issues alleged in the lawsuit regarding Google’s alleged unlawful employment practices and refusal to hire individuals on the basis of their protected characteristics under California employment law.

Suing a gigantic corporation like Google is an expensive and arduous endeavor. It has taken us nearly 18 months just to get out of the starting gates thanks to various motions and delays.