Longtime VC Michael Goguen hit with explosive lawsuit

http://techcrunch.com/2016/03/11/longtime-vc-michael-goguen-was-just-hit-with-an-explosive-lawsuit/?ncid=rss

by jstreebin • 10 years ago

101 45 10 years ago

CydeWeys3• 10 years ago

Human sex trafficking over a period of over a decade? Holy shit, yes, that is a very explosive lawsuit. I thought the headline was overstating things but if anything it's the opposite. No wonder he was fired within the day.

Johnny555• 10 years ago

She's not accusing him of sex trafficking, she didn't meet him until she was already in the USA:

she is described as a “victim of human trafficking since she was 15.” It says that she was “brought to America in 2001,” “sold as a dancer to a strip club,” and that shortly after her arrival, she met Goguen at a Texas strip club and was soon submitting to his “constant sexual abuse” and “relying on his promise that he would help her break free of the human traffickers who held her in perpetual debt.”

CydeWeys3• 10 years ago

He was aware of and took advantage of human sex trafficking. I never said that he brought her into the country himself. But he acted to perpetuate the system, which isn't much better.

nodesocket2• 10 years ago

Here is the full official complaint. Warning, it is very textually graphic.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/304104968/Goguen-Baptiste-San-Mate...

mcguire• 10 years ago

The whole document or just a preview? I'm on a phone and Scribd wants to install an app...

w1ntermute• 10 years ago

Link to original PDF: http://openaccess1.sanmateocourt.org/getpdf/pdftemp/20160312...

paulddraper• 10 years ago

"Want to keep reading? Download the app for the full version!"

What? You go to the work to support web in addition to an Android app, but only for a couple pages? That seems like the most difficult way to do it.

CptJamesCook2• 10 years ago

Michael Goguen appears to be on Twitter attacking Sequoia: https://twitter.com/negars

It's not clear that he realizes this account can be traced to him, however.

bhaumik• 10 years ago

How do you know it's him?

kafkaesq3• 10 years ago

They don't sound like troll tweets.

Indeed, one could say there's a certain air of emotional authenticity to them.

AndyNemmity• 10 years ago

The earliest tweets on the account send messages to Amanda Goguen

damonpace2• 10 years ago

I have confirmed this is NOT his account.

troisx• 10 years ago

How did you confirm this? Do you know the person with the account?

forgetsusername• 10 years ago

Crazy stuff, indeed. Scumbags at every level of society.

dkarapetyan2• 10 years ago

Can we please stop submitting and upvoting things like this. There is literally zero value in articles like this. These are no better than national inquirer articles and should just be banned wholesale.

I've already flagged. If a few more people flag it it will drop off the front page.

reviseddamage• 10 years ago

nah

wpietri3• 10 years ago

I strongly disagree. There is always value in policing the powerful.

If we're going to celebrate the wins (and we should), we have to soberly examine both the losses and the externalities. If these accusations are true, it is our industry that gave him the wealth to cause this kind of harm.

kzhahou• 10 years ago

You don't need to be a millionaire to abuse women and take advantage of sex trafficking.

This is hardly an indictment if silicon valley.

dkarapetyan2• 10 years ago

Are you going to police the entire industry from your keyboard? Everything laid out in the article is already being handled by the judicial system. Sideline gawking is not adding anything.

I agree the VC system and the start-up ecosystem in general should be more decentralized and sustainable but that is beside the point. Sensationalized articles like this that only work because of people's morbid curiosity are hardly the way to galvanize such change.

bitL• 10 years ago

Smells fishy - 13 year ongoing abuse? In the States where one can just walk to the police freely? After paying $10M out of $40M extortion to her? Stripper with only one sexual partner? Red lights everywhere...

How is it possible to terminate a guy in the US with unproven allegations? Guilty by default? I am not saying he isn't, but was there a due process already?

jasode• 10 years ago

How is it possible to terminate a guy in the US with unproven allegations?

The allegations of that specific lawsuit may be unproven but the previous "settlement" of $40m "hush money" that's attached as an exhibit to the end of the lawsuit (see the scribd link) appears to be factual and not a forgery of MG's signature.

Since many reasonable employers wouldn't hire someone with such a settlement made public, it logically follows that they would also fire someone for such a document damaging the company image. Any judgement of innocence or guilt on the allegations down the road is irrelevant to the damage done now.

CydeWeys3• 10 years ago

Do you really not understand how human trafficking and slavery works? Getting out of that situation is not nearly as easy as "just going to the police". There's lots of books on the subject you can read to learn more.

How is it possible to terminate a guy in the US with unproven allegations?

At-will employment. Anyone can be fired at any time for any reason. Innocent until proven guilty applies to the legal system, not to employment.

makomk• 10 years ago

For the most part, sex trafficking doesn't seem to work - it's one of those things that exists more in the media than reality. There's a huge activism industry and massive amounts of police work around it, but when you dig into the details there's just nothing behind it all. Statistics fall apart - supposed US government stats are just them reporting that the press said something, which was a quote from some politician's speech with no apparent basis, and so on. High-profile stories with films and activist organisations around them like Somali Mam are verifiable lies. Busts actually just arrest the women who are having sex for money. Time and time again, there's just nothing actually there.

Honestly, it's probably just not viable. Too high on the police priority list and involves the victims interacting with too many people not in on the operation. Normal labour trafficking is so much safer

kafkaesq3• 10 years ago

Curiously, as of a few minutes ago, this thread has been no longer visible on main HN page -- despite its high ranking, and obvious relevance to the HN community.

dang• 10 years ago

It was flagged by users. That's why most items that drop in rank drop in rank.

nodesocket2• 10 years ago

Michael's response:

https://t.co/kZiaYd076U

kelukelugames• 10 years ago

Michael's supportive friends are a bit much.

"You go Mike! I hate extortionist. You gave her $10M and she wanted more, LOL ... wtf ?!? and she can leave any time. Karma will bite her."

I don't know what it's like to be rich and powerful but I can't imagine an innocent person paying $10 mil in hush money. Though asking for 30 more might look bad in front of a jury.

flylib• 10 years ago

a potential theory is he paid her the money to not tell his wife/kids who knew nothing of the affair, obviously extremely ill advised but plausible

x5n1• 10 years ago

Well she got 10 mil out of it. So either way, nothing for me to be concerned with, justice will be done. This is simply a money matter.

Longtime VC Michael Goguen hit with explosive lawsuit

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