A yearslong, multimillion-dollar sex-abuse lawsuit against a former Sequoia Capital venture capitalist has been thrown out after the plaintiff failed to submit to medical examinations and turn in documents.
In March 2016, Amber Baptiste filed a lawsuit against Michael Goguen in San Mateo County Superior Court, alleging physical, emotional and sexual abuse — including rape and sodomy. According to the lawsuit, which included graphic details, the two had been in a 13-year relationship after meeting at a Texas strip club. Baptiste accused him of paying only $10 million out of a promised $40 million settlement to keep her from filing a personal injury lawsuit against him.
Goguen, who had been at Sequoia for 20 years, left the Silicon Valley VC firm immediately after the allegations were made public. He filed a cross-complaint denying the claims and accusing Baptiste of extortion. In his complaint, he said the relationship was consensual and that Baptiste became bitter after he refused to leave his wife.
Last week, the arbitrator threw out Baptiste’s lawsuit against Goguen, saying she has failed to comply with a number of discovery orders since 2018.
“The record presented further establishes that Baptiste’s failures were willful,” wrote Read Ambler, the arbitrator who formerly was a judge in Santa Clara County Superior Court, in his 33-page order filed Sept. 18.
Goguen continues to pursue his complaint against Baptiste. “Mr. Goguen looks forward to complete vindication when his countersuit and the related federal criminal prosecution are complete,” Diane Doolittle, Goguen’s attorney, said in a statement.
Efforts to reach Baptiste, a Los Angeles resident who said in her lawsuit that she was trafficked into the United States, were unsuccessful.
Baptiste, who claimed she fell out of bed and broke her arm in 2017 because of night tremors related to being repeatedly raped by Goguen, has said she is very ill. Her last known lawyer, William Paoli, said in a filed declaration that he believed she had “become dependent on prescription narcotic medications.” A doctor who examined Baptiste in 2018 made the same determination and said she was “incompetent” and unable to participate in the discovery process because of her dependence on medication.
Court documents show Baptiste was represented by at least four different law firms since she first filed her suit. It is unclear if she has any current legal representation.
Goguen has since moved to Montana and started another venture firm, Two Bear Capital, as well as engaged in philanthropic efforts. On Friday, he posted on LinkedIn: “I wouldn’t wish what happened to my family and I on anyone. But, I’m a big believer that ‘everything happens for a reason’ and that extreme lows can be the pre-cursor to higher highs.”
