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Credit to Author: Sarah Emerson| Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2017 17:18:06 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n The law firm representing fired Google engineer James Damore says it’s investigating the tech company for alleged employment discrimination over political views and “other protected characteristics.” <\/p>\n Dhillon Law Group announced its probe in a release<\/a> Wednesday morning. It claims Google has violated labor laws for retaliating against employees like Damore, a former Google software engineer who was fired this month<\/a> for publishing a memo<\/a> that argued gender gaps in STEM fields can be attributed to biological differences between men and women. <\/p>\n The firm implies that additional employees may file suit against the company.<\/p>\n “Numerous individuals have contacted us about this issue, but as their names are not public, I will not be commenting about their individual situations at this time,” Harmeet Dhillon, a partner at the firm, told Motherboard in an email. In the past, the firm has launched class-action lawsuits<\/a> in certain cases, but, in a follow up email, Dhillon would not confirm whether the firm was looking into a class-action suit in this case.<\/p>\n The San Francisco-based law firm, which specializes in business and labor litigation, is currently seeking information from Google employees about the following alleged actions:<\/p>\n Discriminated against at Google based on your political views;<\/p>\n Been written up for “un-Googly conduct” for refusing to comply with to the political orthodoxy at the company;<\/p>\n Retaliated against for complaining about employment discrimination at Google<\/p>\n Defamed\/slandered\/smeared\/blacklisted at Google for your political views, or views about affirmative action at Google; or<\/p>\n Punished for blowing the whistle on illegal employment practices at Google? <\/p>\n In his own labor complaint<\/a> against the company, Damore is being represented by Dhillon, Gregory Michael, and Ravdeep Grewal of Dhillon Law Group. <\/p>\n Motherboard has contacted Google for comment regarding the investigation, we will update when we hear back.<\/p>\n Damore’s complaint, which was filed to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this month, and partially obtained<\/a> by Gizmodo, states that Google “interfered with, restrained, and coerced employees in the exercise of rights protected by Section 7 of the Act…by making threats of unspecified reprisals” against them. <\/p>\n Legally speaking, Google was within its rights to fire Damore as an at-will employee under California law. However, Damore says he filed an NLRB complaint prior to his dismissal<\/a>, which means Google must prove that it didn’t terminate Damore in retaliation against the charge.<\/p>\n Under Section 7<\/a> of the National Labor Relations Act referred to in Damore’s complaint, Google cannot lawfully interfere with group activities aimed at improving pay or working conditions.<\/p>\n Dhillon Law Group implies that it has multiple clients who could charge Google with discrimination complaints. It’s unclear who, other than Damore, the firm is representing. As Motherboard reported<\/a>, many Google employees internally defended Damore and his viewpoints, so it’s possible other employees have interest in joining a potential lawsuit.<\/p>\n “I’ve been advised not to talk too much about my legal case, but I’ve been told that I can win it. It’s been hard to decide on a lawyer because I don’t really know how to distinguish between them, especially in my currently overwhelmed state,” Damore wrote<\/a> in a Reddit AMA this month.<\/p>\n In addition, more than 60 current and former employees say they are considering a gender discrimination class-action<\/a> lawsuit against Google. These plaintiffs claim that women at Google consistently earn less than their male counterparts, and that the company fosters a “culture that is hostile to women.” <\/p>\n