The U.S. government sued Google on Thursday, alleging the company violated federal protections for military personnel by failing to restore a reservist to his former job or provide comparable work after his return from active duty.
The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, accuses Google of violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, known as USERRA. The law protects civilian employment rights for people who leave their jobs for military service, including members of the reserve forces.
The case concerns Mark Davisson, who worked for about 2 1/2 years as a key account executive at Google before taking military leave. In that role, he handled cloud-services accounts for BlackRock and Bridgewater Associates and managed the U.S. business of the former Credit Suisse, according to the complaint.
Alleged change in duties
Davisson returned from a year of military leave in May 2023. The complaint alleges that Google allowed him to keep his title and pay but did not give him customer accounts. That change, prosecutors said, prevented him from continuing the account-management work connected with his position and limited his opportunity for advancement.
In January 2024, Google assigned Davisson to a cloud-solutions position. The government alleges that the new role also did not include responsibility for customer accounts. Seven months later, the company fired him after another period of military leave, during what the complaint described as a broader workforce reduction.
- Davisson worked as a Google key account executive before taking military leave.
- He returned to the company in May 2023, keeping his pay and title but allegedly losing customer-account responsibilities.
- The lawsuit seeks lost wages and benefits, additional damages and workplace changes related to USERRA compliance.
The lawsuit was brought by the civil rights unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan with support from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s top civil rights enforcer under President Donald Trump’s administration. The government is seeking compensation for wages and benefits it says Davisson lost, as well as additional damages.
“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.”
Jamie McDonald, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, made the statement while announcing the case. The government also asks the court to require Google to maintain a nondiscriminatory workplace and improve employee training on USERRA.
Google is a unit of Mountain View, California-based Alphabet. The complaint identifies Davisson as having a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, while living and working in Manhattan during his Google employment. The allegations have been filed in court and remain unproven unless established through the legal process.
