Google agreed to pay $45 million to PIO exec accused of sex abuse

SAN FRANCISCO: Alphabet’s board of directors agreed to pay a former top Google executive as much as $45 million when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of groping a subordinate.

The previously undisclosed sum was in the separation agreement for Amit Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Google’s search operations until February 2016. The amount was revealed on Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause.

According to the suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal $15 million a year for two years and between $5 million and $15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor. He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public.

Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event. Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated. The company also concluded that the employee’s account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy. Singhal did not respond to a request for comment.

A Google spokeswoman said on Monday that the company had “made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority.” She added, “There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google.”