Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt Sued for Stalking, Abuse by Ex-Lover
Ex-mistress accuses Eric Schmidt of surveillance, toxic control.
A Silicon Valley scandal exploded as Michelle Ritter, the 31-year-old former lover of ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, 70, filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing the tech mogul of stalking, abuse, and suffocating her with relentless digital surveillance. The allegations, detailed in explosive court documents, paint a dark picture of a bitter feud over money, Ritter’s AI startup, and access to Schmidt’s $61 million Bel Air mansion, a Hollywood-style estate boasting grand staircases and lush gardens with a koi pond.
Ritter, who met Schmidt in 2020 during their on-and-off affair within his 45-year open marriage, claims he locked her out of her $100 million-funded AI venture, Steel Perlot, and demanded she sign a gag order to bury any sexual assault or harassment claims after a failed mediation last April. Days before filing a domestic violence restraining order in December 2024, Ritter alleged Schmidt’s billionaire clout—worth billions from his Google reign—choked her access to finances, devices, and privacy, even deploying private investigators to tail her parents in Los Angeles. “I can’t have a private call or email without surveillance,” she claimed in the filing.
The drama escalated after a secretive settlement last December promised Ritter “substantial payments,” but she withdrew her restraining order in January 2025 after an amended deal. Now, she accuses Schmidt of dodging obligations, forcing her to scramble for a $75,000 arbitration fee. Schmidt’s legal team fired back with an 82-page rebuttal in October 2024, slamming her claims as “false” and a judicial abuse, pushing to seal records ahead of a December 4 hearing in Los Angeles.
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Known for his “Casanova” reputation, Schmidt, who led Google to global dominance from 2001 to 2017, once sparked engagement rumors with a 10-carat pink sapphire ring gifted to another young flame in 2019. Ritter’s suit, demanding protection for herself and her German Shepherd, Henry, at the Bel Air estate, lays bare a clash of power, betrayal, and tech-fueled control. As the courtroom showdown looms, this saga threatens to unravel the polished veneer of a tech legend, with sparks flying far beyond Silicon Valley.
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