Tech

Damore Moves Google Lawsuit To Arbitration

Photo Credit: YouTube/The Rubin Report

Celine Ryan Contributor
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Author of the infamous “Google memo” James Damore has made the decision to exit his ongoing lawsuit against Google in favor of arbitration.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday morning to finalize the move and “other issues” with the case, according to Damore’s lead attorney Harmeet Dhillon. Dhillon has declined to comment on the reasons for the decision until after said hearing takes place.

Earlier this year, Damore and another former employee David Gudeman filed a class action lawsuit against Google, alleging that they had been fired for their expressing political beliefs that did not align with the majority of Google employees.

The same lawsuit insisted that Google enforces “illegal hiring quotas” to ensure a certain number of “women and favored minority candidates,” adding that the company “openly shames” managers who fail to meet these prejudiced quotas. Both Damore and Gudeman are now moving their complaints outside of the courtroom and will instead enter into arbitration with the tech company.

An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd WIegmann/File Photo

An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd WIegmann/File Photo

Damore’s termination came shortly after he posted a widely debated internal memo titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” which suggested that Google would be more successful in diversifying its workforce if it were to employ a recruitment process that acknowledges differences between men and women. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said that the memo was not an example of simple ideological divergence, but rather of “advancing harmful gender stereotypes” in the workplace.

The original lawsuit will continue with two other plaintiffs who joined the suit in April, claiming that Google’s hiring processes were rife with the same kind of discrimination described by Damore. Stephen McPherson and Michael Burns alleged that Google discriminated against them during the hiring process, ultimately denying them positions because of their race and gender.