Ex-Google employees sue the company over not being evil

The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City.

A group of former Google employees sued Alphabet Inc on Monday, alleging that it breached their employment contracts by not honoring its motto don't be evil. In the lawsuit filed in California state court in Santa Clara County, former Google employees Rebecca Rivers, Sophie Waldman and Paul Duke alleged that they were fired two years ago for violating their contractual obligations to speak up if they saw Google violate its don't be evil pledge.

Google did not respond to a request for comment. The employees of the company have said they have been in violation of data security policies before.

Their firings have led to an ongoing National Labor Relations Board trial over whether the company has engaged in unfair practices to stem worker organizing. Rank-and-file engineers and others working at tech companies have sought greater say over policies and projects in recent years. Management has pushed back, trying to maintain control.

Three former Google software engineers had raised concerns at town halls and other forums inside Google about the company selling cloud technology to U.S. immigration authorities, which at the time were engaged in detention tactics considered inhumane by rights activists, including separating migrant children from their families.

The lawsuit says that the workers considered the potential immigration work evil under Google's policies, which call for acting honorably and treating each other with respect and engaging in the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct. The lawsuit said workers who think the company may be falling short of its commitments should not stay silent.

The workers are seeking an unspecified amount of damages.

Google has promoted don't be evil as a core value for over 20 years, including when it went public in 2004.