The ex-mistress of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt accused him of stalking, abuse, and “toxic masculinity” in court filings she submitted while seeking a domestic violence restraining order against him late last year.
According to court records obtained by the New York Post, Michelle Ritter, 31, filed the explosive documents on December 11, 2024 — just a week after she and Schmidt, 70, had signed a written agreement that required him to make “substantial payments” to her. She withdrew the restraining order request on January 6 after reaching a new deal with him.
Ritter, a Columbia Law School graduate, began dating Schmidt in 2021. At the time, the billionaire reportedly invested $100 million into her AI startup, Steel Perlot. Although Schmidt has been married to his wife, Wendy, since 1980, the couple is long rumored to have had an open marriage.
In her filing, Ritter accused Schmidt of locking her out of her company’s website using his technical expertise and subjecting her to what she described as “an absolute digital surveillance system.” She claimed, “I literally cannot have a private phone call or send a private email without surveillance.”
She also alleged that Schmidt pressured her to sign “a gag order on any sexual assault or harassment allegations” and to sign “a knowingly false declaration that any such allegations never happened.” Ritter additionally requested protection for her German Shepherd, Henry, and access to Schmidt’s Bel-Air mansion, where she previously lived.
Schmidt’s legal team forcefully denied her allegations, calling them “demonstrably false” and “a blatant abuse of the judicial system,” according to the Post.
Ritter withdrew the restraining order after an amended settlement was reached in December. However, she has since claimed Schmidt failed to honor that agreement and accused him of trying to “win by economic and resource attrition,” saying she cannot afford to pay a $75,000 court fee in ongoing arbitration.
A hearing is set for December 4 in Los Angeles. Lawyers for both sides have declined to comment further.