Ex-Google CEO under fire for stalking, abuse and secret digital monitoring

Michelle Ritter, 31, accused former Google CEO Eric Schmidt of stalking, abusing and promoting “toxic masculinity”. She claims he subjected her to relentless digital surveillance as they secretly competed for money, a failed AI startup, and access to a Bel Air mansion, according to a report by The New York Post. Michelle Ritter, who was recently linked to Schmidt, filed a temporary restraining order against the 70-year-old tech executive late last year, the report said, citing court documents. Ritter and Schmidt, with a net worth of $44.8 billion, according to Bloomberg estimates, entered into a “written settlement agreement” in December that mandated the tech titan make “substantial payments” to Ritter, though the details remain under seal, according to a Sept. 8 filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the report noted. However, a week later, on Dec. 11, Ritter filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Schmidt, but she withdrew it three weeks later, on Jan. 6, after the two sides seemingly reached a new agreement, court documents highlighted. In the retracted order, Ritter alleged that Schmidt had previously locked her out of her startup Steel Perlot’s website, an AI-focused venture in which Schmidt has invested $100 million, the report said, citing a person familiar with the development. “Please note Eric’s technical background,” Ritter said in the filing. “I literally cannot have a private phone call or send a private email without supervision,” she added. Ritter further alleged in the filing that Schmidt demanded that she agree to an oral order regarding any allegations of sexual assault or harassment and sign a knowingly false statement that any such allegations never happened. Livemint could not independently verify the report. Former Google CEO’s Response On October 8, Schmidt’s lawyers argued in an 82-page response that “Michelle Ritter’s demonstrably false complaint is a blatant abuse of the legal system.” However, most of the legal responses were redacted ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Dec. 4 in downtown Los Angeles. The billionaire’s legal team, led by LA litigator Patricia Glaser, filed a motion on Oct. 8 to seal the court documents. However, no final decision has yet been made on the request. Ritter claimed in a December filing, “Unfortunately, my former partner is extraordinarily powerful and capable and has used every means to prevent me from accessing secure data, devices, finances or businesses, or simply living my life in peace.” The filing revealed that Ritter lived at 1060 Brooklawn Dr., a 15,000-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, which Schmidt bought for $61 million from the Hilton hotel heirs. In the document, Ritter requested exclusive access to the luxury estate and sought court protection for her German Shepherd, Henry. However, Ritter, a 2021 Columbia Law School graduate who recently represented herself in the case, listed an address for what appeared to be a modest apartment in Beverly Hills. Ritter said in the filing that she and Schmidt reached an amended settlement agreement on Dec. 17, less than a week after she filed her restraining order request. She withdrew the TRO request a few weeks later, but she claimed Schmidt has since failed to honor his obligations.