The U.S. Department of Justice sued Google on Thursday, October 29, 2026, accusing the technology giant of stripping an Army reservist of his job responsibilities after a year of military service and later firing him while he was on another approved military leave.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges Google violated federal military reemployment protections when it failed to restore Mark Davisson, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, to his previous position or a comparable role. Google reinstated his salary and title in May 2023 but gave his major customer accounts to another employee, leaving him without defined responsibilities for approximately six months.
Davisson joined Google's Cloud division in December 2019 as a key account executive, managing relationships with major financial institutions, including BlackRock, Bridgewater Associates and Credit Suisse. Under his management, BlackRock signed its first multimillion-dollar cloud services contract with Google in December 2021.
A decorated Army reservist who received a Bronze Star for service in Iraq and a Meritorious Service Medal for service in Afghanistan, Davisson took military leave from May 2022 to May 2023 to serve with U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
During his deployment, Google transferred his accounts to another executive. When he returned, the company allowed that employee to keep the clients, depriving Davisson of the responsibilities and advancement opportunities associated with his former position, according to the complaint.
In January 2024, Google reassigned him to a digital assets sales team, where he supported other account managers rather than overseeing customers directly.
Four months later, Davisson took another approved military leave, from May 13 to June 14. While he was away, Google informed him on May 29 that his position would be eliminated in a workforce reduction unless he secured another role within the company before August 27.
Davisson applied for approximately 10 positions but received no offers. Google terminated his employment on August 27, while the executive who inherited his original accounts kept that position and remained employed, according to the lawsuit.
On October 15, Davisson filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service. Following an investigation, the agency informed Google in June 2025 that it had violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA. Davisson requested that the matter be referred to the Justice Department the following month.
Under USERRA, employees returning from qualifying military service generally are entitled to the positions they would have held without the interruption or comparable jobs with equivalent seniority, status, and pay. Federal prosecutors allege Google violated the law by returning Davisson to a role that lacked the account management responsibilities and career opportunities he previously held.
Google disputes the allegations. Company spokesman Atle Erlingsson said the company takes compliance with employment laws, including USERRA, seriously and investigates allegations of workplace wrongdoing.
Federal prosecutors are asking the court to order Google to reinstate Davisson as a key account executive managing his former customers or a comparable group of major accounts. They also seek lost wages and benefits, interest, additional damages for an alleged willful violation, and changes to Google's workplace policies and training. Davisson has demanded a jury trial.
