In 2018, former Microsoft employee Sunday Tollefson sued the company, her former manager Sudev Muthya and a colleague identified as John Doe #1. Her complaint alleged gender and marital-status discrimination, a hostile work environment, retaliation and wrongful termination. Those were allegations in a court filing, not findings that the conduct occurred.
What did the ex-Microsoft employee allege?
Tollefson’s First Amended Complaint says she joined Microsoft in September 2013 as a business program manager in Marketing & Operations. It alleges that a colleague grabbed and kissed her without consent at a company-sponsored event in July 2014. According to the complaint, she reported the incident to Human Resources, the company investigation substantiated it, and the colleague was disciplined for unwanted physical contact. GeekWire separately reported that Microsoft confirmed the unnamed employee was disciplined but did not provide details. These accounts describe allegations and attributed reporting, not an independent determination of the underlying conduct. Read the First Amended Complaint; GeekWire’s November 7, 2018 report.
The complaint also alleges that Muthya treated Tollefson more harshly than male coworkers. The examples it gives involve working from home, caring for her son as a single mother, and taking Microsoft’s Connector bus after her work schedule had been approved. Tollefson characterized her performance evaluations as false, according to the complaint, and said Microsoft terminated her on March 3, 2015, with an “ineligible for rehire” designation.
The amended complaint lists claims including gender discrimination, marital-status discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation and wrongful termination, among related claims. The presence of these claims in a complaint does not establish that a court accepted them or that the alleged conduct was proven.
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GeekWire reported that Microsoft said it considered Tollefson’s performance issues ongoing and documented. The company also said: “We’ve carefully reviewed the complaint and believe the legal claims are unfounded.” That is Microsoft’s position as reported at the time, not a ruling on the claims. GeekWire, November 7, 2018.
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When was the lawsuit filed?
The complaint says Tollefson filed an administrative complaint with the Washington State Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2015. It says the matter transferred to the EEOC in March 2018 and that the agency issued a right-to-sue notice on June 11, 2018. GeekWire reported that the lawsuit was first filed in King County Superior Court in September 2018 and moved to federal court in the week before its November 7 report.
The federal filing named Microsoft, Muthya and John Doe #1, an unnamed colleague identified that way in the complaint. The complaint is a party’s account of events; its allegations are not court findings.
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Is the case outcome known?
The available sources establish the complaint and the parties’ reported positions in 2018, but do not establish the lawsuit’s final disposition. They do not support saying that Tollefson won or lost, or that the case was dismissed or settled.
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