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Female Yahoo Executive Sued for Sexual Harassment

A female Yahoo executive has been sued by a woman who worked under her and is accusing her former boss of sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
Image: The Yahoo logo is shown at the company's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California
The Yahoo logo is shown at the company's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in this file photo taken April 16, 2013. A July complaint by a female employee accuses a female exec at the company of sexual harassment and wrongful termination. ROBERT GALBRAITH / Reuters, file

A high-level female executive at Yahoo Inc. has been sued in California by a woman who worked under her and is accusing the former boss of sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Maria Zhang, a senior director of engineering at Yahoo Mobile, has been sued by Nan Shi, who worked as a principal software engineer in Yahoo from February 2013, according to a complaint filed on July 8 in California. The complaint alleges that Zhang coerced Shi to have oral and digital sex with her on multiple occasions in Sunnyvale, California, and told her she would have a "bright future" at Yahoo if she had sex with Zhang.

Shi is seeking monetary as well as punitive damages. The lawsuit also names Yahoo as a defendant.

A Yahoo representative said in an email that there "is absolutely no basis or truth to the allegations" and called Zhang "an exemplary Yahoo executive and we intend to fight vigorously to clear her name."

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— Reuters