Eric Schmidt, the 70-year-old former CEO of Google, is facing serious allegations from his ex-girlfriend Michelle Ritter, who claims he subjected her to abuse, stalking, and what she calls “absolute digital surveillance.” Court filings obtained by The New York Post detail accusations of a “system of total control” involving monitoring communications, financial coercion, and private investigators. Schmidt has denied the allegations, calling them “demonstrably false,” as the dispute over multimillion-dollar settlements and a failed AI venture escalates.
From romance to legal war
Schmidt and Ritter reportedly began their relationship in 2020 while Ritter was a student at Columbia University. Their personal ties soon intertwined with business through Steel Perlot, an AI-focused startup Ritter founded and Schmidt backed with an investment of roughly $100 million, according to The Information. What began as a partnership now stands at the center of a bitter legal fight involving shared assets, residences in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, and claims of psychological control.
Allegations of surveillance and coercion
In her filings, Ritter accuses Schmidt of leveraging his wealth and technical expertise to track her movements and monitor private communications. She alleges he pressured her to sign false declarations denying misconduct, locked her out of business accounts, and deployed private investigators to follow her parents. "Unfortunately, my former partner is extraordinarily powerful and capable and has used every mean[s] to block me from getting access to secure data, devices, finances, or businesses, or to simply live my life in peace," Ritter stated in her filing, New York Post reported.
She characterises Schmidt’s tactics as an attempt to “suppress exposure of his misconduct and abuse” through arbitration and economic attrition.
Failed settlements and mounting disputes
The former couple previously reached a settlement after Ritter withdrew a restraining order, but she claims Schmidt failed to fulfill his obligations. The filings suggest Schmidt continues to pursue arbitration, which Ritter says is designed to exhaust her resources. The dispute also touches on Schmidt’s luxury properties and shared business interests tied to Steel Perlot, which Forbes has described as a venture mired in personal and professional turmoil.
Schmidt’s response
Through his attorneys, Schmidt has dismissed the allegations as “false” and “a misuse of the judicial process.” Most filings remain sealed ahead of a December 2025 hearing in Los Angeles.
A billionaire’s private life under scrutiny
Schmidt, whose net worth is estimated at $44.8 billion, as per Forbes, has long been known for maintaining an open marriage and relationships with younger women. When Schmidt was chief executive of Google, he had an extramarital relationship with a public relations executive, Marcy Simon. Things were messy between them even a decade after they split, The New York Times reported.
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