31-year-old ex-mistress sues former Google CEO Eric Schmidt for stalking, abuse

Michelle Ritter, 31-year-old ex-mistress of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, 70. Photo from Ritter's Instagram

Ritter filed the lawsuit on Dec. 11, 2024 accusing Schmidt of using his technical expertise to surveil her and lock her out of her own AI startup Steel Perlot’s website, according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.

She claimed Schmidt subjected her to constant "digital surveillance," making private communication impossible. "I literally cannot have a private phone call or send a private email without surveillance," she said in the filing. "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 began dating in 2021 Schmidt and the tech mogul invested $100 million into her AI startup, Page Six reported. Her lifestyle, influenced by Schmidt, including driving his Tesla, living in his Bel Air mansion, and conducting business meetings in a bikini while paying herself $1 million a year, collapsed after she urged him to leave his wife, Wendy Schmidt, 70.

The ex-Google executive and his mistress, who is eight years younger than his daughter, reportedly ended their relationship in May 2024.

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Photo from Schmidt's X

In early December 2024, the pair reached a written settlement agreement requiring Schmidt to make "substantial payments" to Ritter. But just a week later, Ritter filed a domestic violence restraining order against him, which she withdrew three weeks later on Jan. 6, 2025, following a new settlement between both parties. Ritter’s filings also alleged that Schmidt pressured her to sign a false declaration denying any sexual assault or harassment claims.

Schmidt’s legal team requested that the court documents be sealed, while his initial response was heavily redacted. A source who worked for Ritter’s startup told the Daily Mail that her filing was in retaliation for Schmidt’s arbitration case after their business fallout.

"Eric invested a lot in her company, and unfortunately it did not work out as they hoped, and she seems to be trying to avoid her obligations under their subsequent business agreement," the source said.

The legal battle between the two continues, with Schmidt seeking to enforce their business agreement. A motion to enforce arbitration is scheduled for Dec. 4.

Schmidt, who led Google as CEO from 2001 to 2011 and served as executive chairman until 2018, has long been known for his relationships with younger women, including fashion designers, socialites, PR executives, and concert pianists.

Ritter, a Columbia Law School graduate, previously worked as a cyber research associate at Stanford University and held positions with the Department of Homeland Security and the Government of Afghanistan. Schmidt reportedly first met Ritter in 2020 when she was studying at Columbia, according to tech site The Information.