Eric Schmidt's ex-lover has accused the former Google CEO of raping her and spying on her with hidden cameras while she was naked, even though he allegedly subjected her to creepy surveillance and derogatory comments at the tech startup they ran together.
Michelle Ritter, a 31-year-old technology entrepreneur, detailed the allegations in a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that Schmidt, 70, subjected her to sexual battery, harassment, domestic violence and violations of computer hacking and wiretapping laws.
Last month The Post told the story of the bitter legal spatwhich emerged from a relationship that began in 2020 and was soured by allegations of abuse and corporate betrayal, highlighting the dangers of personal connections and high-stakes business in Silicon Valley.
In a bombshell claim last week, Ritter claims the billionaire tech titan raped her on a yacht in November 2021.
“He followed me into the shower, slammed me against the wall and forcibly raped me,” Ritter said. “I begged him to stop and screamed that he was hurting me, but he ignored my pleas. The next morning, Schmidt tried to convince me that I had enjoyed the attack.”
Then, in August 2023, at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, she claims Schmidt initiated sex while she was sleeping.
“I clearly told him no and tried to get him to stop, but I realized that trying to resist physically would be futile and would only make the situation worse,” her statement said.
Ritter further accuses Schmidt of unwanted voyeurism and pressuring her with sexual fetishes.
“On several occasions, Schmidt secretly took photographs of me without my consent while I was naked, including going into the bathroom to take pictures while I was showering,” she claims.
Allegations of physical abuse include being pushed numerous times, leaving bruises and scratches, and being intimidated by shouting inches from her face. During one incident in New York, he allegedly pushed her into a table.
Ritter describes Schmidt as a “promiscuous individual,” alleging that he stripped and exposed himself to the flight crew of his private jet and carried marijuana on the plane.
She also accuses Schmidt of pressuring her to look “really hot and sexy” at business meetings, urging her to use prescription stimulants to lose weight, and later ridiculing her for looking “emaciated.”
In front of colleagues, he allegedly made derogatory comments including, “You should see her naked,” solicited comments about how “sexy” she looked, and said after she misspoke, “At least she looks good.”
Ritter alleges that Schmidt installed spyware on her computer in November 2021, which allowed access to her messages, emails and documents.
“On various occasions, Ritter used her email or Google Workspace account and saw emails and documents deleted or altered as if someone else was monitoring her keystrokes,” the document states.
Ritter alleges that Schmidt admitted to creating a “backdoor” on Google’s servers to access someone’s personal information, extending not only to her but also to targeted employees.
According to court documents, the relationship ended after photos of Schmidt with a 22-year-old woman surfaced in early 2024. Since the breakup, Ritter claims the surveillance has intensified.
On Nov. 7, 2024, while Ritter was dining at Nobu in Malibu, she claims Schmidt broke into her Tesla and stole her laptop — and says he was caught on surveillance footage of the posh sushi restaurant.
Schmidt's lawyer and Harvey Weinstein's former lawyer, Patricia Glaser, said: “This is a last-ditch and destructive attempt to publish false and defamatory statements that directly contradict her own words in order to distract attention and avoid responsibility for a long-running business dispute.”
Skip Miller, a lawyer representing Ritter, told The Post: “A billionaire tech giant, the powerful former head of Google, took advantage of and abused a brilliant young woman for his own personal gratification, to deprive her of all the hard and very valuable work she did while they were together because she left him. This lawsuit seeks justice.”
Schmidt, then 65 and leaving Google with a net worth of $48.3 billion, was married but reportedly had an open relationship with his 45-year-old wife, Wendy Schmidt.
Ritter, who has a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree and an MBA from Columbia University, met Schmidt, a major Democratic donor, in September 2020 through a business contact.
She was 26 at the time and promoting StarX Networks, a company that allowed fans to invest in the performances of athletes.
Together they launched Steel Perlot, a startup incubator that has helped launch companies like Keeta, a payments network now valued at $161 million.
Ritter even claims that she, along with Henry Kissinger, helped edit Schmidt's book, advised on Biden administration appointments, prepared Senate testimony and influenced his bid for the NFL's Washington Commanders.
In business dealings, she alleges that Schmidt invested $100 million in Steel Perlot but used accounting maneuvers to saddle the company with debt. She was removed from her position as CEO of another firm, Knox, and stripped of control over public companies.
Further allegations include forging her signature on documents, inserting fake messages into her phone and locking her in the home they shared in April 2024, leaving her belongings inside.
That summer, Ritter said, Schmidt installed hidden cameras and listening devices in her Los Angeles home.
Private detectives allegedly followed her parents, admitting to police that they were working for a billionaire's “private security,” The Post previously reported.
Ritter filed for a temporary restraining order last December but withdrew some of the claims a week later, which she said came under pressure from Schmidt's lawyers.
The case began in September with suppressed or redacted documents.
The amended complaint proposed last week, which was first uploaded by the Daily Mailis seeking to make the allegations public, citing a 2021 law banning arbitration of sexual assault claims. Schmidt says the law is not retroactive.
In his response, Schmidt claims the dispute stems from Ritter's “mismanagement” of their company and accuses her of “persistent lies” to gain leverage and “extort” money from him.
He claims she violated the agreement by refusing to vacate her Beverly Hills mansion, stealing $1.1 million worth of property and leaking information to the media.
In September, Judge Michael Small ordered private arbitration and stayed the public case. Ritter went through as many as ten lawyers, Schmidt's filings allege.
Schmidt has been called the “Casanova” of Silicon Valley after years of flaunting much younger girlfriends and openly talking about how AI could ruin dating for men.
Schmidt, Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011, has been linked to other young women, including fashion designer Shoshanna Gruss and former Olympic figure skater Alexandra Duisberg. socialite Ulla Parker and former CNBC correspondent Kate Boehner.
