According to Reuters, the U.S. government has sued Google, accusing it of not reinstating a former Army Reserve employee to his original position and of not assigning him a similar job after he completed a year of military service leave.
This case originated from a lawsuit filed on Thursday local time at the Federal Court in Manhattan. It is a rare instance in which the U.S. government has prosecuted a private employer under the Military Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 ( USERRA ). This law protects the employment rights of civilians who are drafted into active military service.
The complaint shows that Mark Davidson ( Mark Davisson ) had served as a Senior Account Manager at Google for two and a half years before taking a military leave of absence. During that time, he was responsible for managing cloud service clients for asset management companies such as BlackRock ( BlackRock , BLK.N ) and hedge fund Bridgewater Associates ( Bridgewater Associates ), while also overseeing Credit Suisse's U.S. operations.
After Davidson returned to work in May 2023 following his vacation, Google is said to no longer have him handle any customer accounts. Although his salary and job title were retained, he lost the opportunity for career advancement.
Fired again after taking another leave of absence from military service
The lawsuit alleges that in January 2024, Google transferred Davidson to a cloud solutions position, which also did not involve customer account management. Seven months later, after he took another leave of absence for military service, Google terminated his employment as part of a large-scale layoff.
According to the complaint, Davidson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Military Merit Medal, and he resided in Charlotte, North Carolina; during his employment at Google, he lived and worked in Manhattan. Google's parent company, Alphabet, is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Google spokesperson Attila Erlingsson ( Atle Erlingsson ) stated in an email: "We do not agree with the allegations in the lawsuit. Google strictly complies with labor regulations, including the Veterans Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and will investigate all reports of inappropriate behavior in the workplace."
Supported by the civil rights official of the Trump administration
This lawsuit was initiated by the Civil Rights Division of the Manhattan Federal Prosecutor's Office and is supported by Assistant Attorney General Hamit Dilon ( Harmeet Dhillon ), who is the highest-ranking official in charge of civil rights affairs under the Trump administration.
The plaintiff demands compensation for the lost salary, benefits, and additional damages incurred by Davidson. At the same time, the plaintiff requests that Google create a non-discriminatory work environment, including improving training related to the Veterans Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
Manhattan Federal Prosecutor Jamie McDonnell ( Jamie McDonald ) said in a statement: "Federal law protects brave military personnel – who make great sacrifices to protect us – so that they will not suffer unfair treatment from employers when they return to the workplace after their service is over."
