(KRON) -- Google has discriminatory practices toward employees who take parental leave, according to a lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed by former employee Paula Byrne against Google LLC and its parent company, Alphabet Inc. It accuses the tech giant of discrimination and retaliation against employees taking protected leave to start a family. "Google forces their employees to choose between their jobs or starting a family," said plaintiff and former Google employee, Bryne. "This is a company that lures talent with promises of progressive values and excellent benefits, including maternity leave, but it's really just a bait and switch." Facebook, other Meta sites hit by widespread outage: user reports Byrne went on to say that after spending 15 years "working tirelessly" for the company, she decided it was time to have a child. According to court records cited in the lawsuit, Byrne was laid off while she was on maternity leave. This despite her most recent evaluations showing she made "Significant Impact" to Google, the suit states. "They turned what should have been one of the most joyous times in life into a nightmare," she said. The lawsuit goes on to say that five of seven employees who were selected for termination from Byrne's team, along with two from an adjacent team, were also on, or had recently taken maternity leave. "Paula was a dedicated employee who put off having children for Google and when she had a baby her worst fears came true, she was let go," said Byrne's attorney, Maria Bourn. "Google's conduct was not limited to Paula, but several other on maternity or paternity leave were all let go at the same time." According to a statement from Byrne's attorney, a serious health condition forced Byrne to take leave in April 2023, two weeks before her planned maternity leave. In November, while she was on leave, Google announced that Byrne had been laid off, along with other team members. Byrne, the statement continues, learned she had been replaced with a "younger, less experienced employee" who had been her interim replacement while she was on leave. "While Ms. Byrne had been told that her position had been eliminated, she learned that Google effectively swapped their roles and then eliminated the role of the younger, less experienced employee." The statement alleges that people who remained on the team acknowledged that Google had effectively "switched their roles." After being laid off, the suit alleges Byrne was advised she could apply for posted roles, but did not have the ability to do so because "Google cut off her access to information that would make applying possible." The lawsuit went on to alleged that Bryne was not hired for subsequent roles she was qualified for. After several months, the suit states, Google ultimately said there was on role for Byrne within the company, leaving her with "no job or benefits and a newborn."