UPDATED 22:27 EST / NOVEMBER 06 2019

POLICY

Alphabet board investigating how it handles sexual misconduct allegations

Google LLC’s parent company Alphabet Inc. is conducting an investigation into how it has handled sexual misconduct allegations, including those made against one of its current executives.

The investigation, first reported today by CNBC, is said to be specifically investigating sexual misconduct allegations made against Alphabet Chief Legal Officer David Drummond.

Drummond is alleged by former Google employee Jennifer Blakely to have abandoned their child after they had an extramarital affair. Drummond is said to have then gone on to marry another Alphabet employee.

The Drummond story starts with Blakely, who first publicly made the allegations against Drummond in a post on Medium Aug. 29. Citing the #MeToo movement, Blakely said she started an affair in 2004 with Drummond, who was then married, then became pregnant by him in 2005, resulting in a miscarriage. Blakely claims to have become pregnant by Drummond again, with their child born in 2007.

“David was well aware that our relationship was in violation of Google’s new policy which went from ‘discouraging’ direct-reporting-line relationships to outright banning them,” Blakely wrote.

Blakely also said that after the birth of their son, she was transferred out of the then-Google legal team to the sales team despite having no experience in sales. The relationship subsequently ended in 2008.

In a statement, Drummond did not deny the core of the story, saying that “it’s not a secret that Jennifer and I had a difficult break-up 10 years ago. I am far from perfect and I regret my part in that.”

The investigation also likely prompted by a lawsuit against Alphabet filed by shareholders in January that alleged that the company covered up sexual misconduct by executives. The lawsuit claims that Alphabet’s board of directors shielded senior executives from sexual misconduct allegations in a breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, unjust enrichment and waste of corporate assets.

Although the allegations against Drummond are arguably salacious, those made against Android co-founder Andy Rubin were far more severe. Rubin was allegedly paid $90 million in 2014 to leave Google following allegations, though not proved, that he coerced another Google employee into performing sex in a hotel room in 2013.

According to Reuters, the Alphabet investigation is expected to be completed next month.

Photo: Pexels

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