The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of failing to reinstate an employee to his former position or a comparable one after he returned from military leave. The complaint, lodged in Manhattan federal court, alleges that Google violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).
Mark Davisson, a U.S. Army reservist, had worked as a key account executive at Google for 2-1/2 years, managing cloud services accounts for major clients like BlackRock and Bridgewater Associates, and overseeing the U.S. business of the former Credit Suisse. According to the lawsuit, Davisson returned from a year of military leave in May 2023. Upon his return, Google allegedly prevented him from managing any customer accounts, a move that impacted his career advancement despite him retaining his pay and title.
In January 2024, Davisson was reportedly assigned to a cloud solutions role that also did not involve customer account management. The complaint states that he was subsequently terminated seven months later, following another period of military leave and as part of broader workforce reductions at the company.
The lawsuit, brought by the civil rights division of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, seeks to recover lost wages and benefits for Davisson. It also calls for additional damages and mandates that Google improve its training on USERRA to ensure a non-discriminatory workplace for service members.
"Federal law ensures that our brave soldiers, who sacrifice so much to keep us safe, are not punished by employers when they return to the civilian workforce after completing their military service," U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement. Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.