The ex-Sequoia VC accused of sexual abuse says the woman suing him is looking for 'vengeance'

The former partner at elite Silicon Valley VC firm Sequoia Capital who was sued last week for breach of contract in a claim that included allegations of sexual and emotional abuse, filed a cross complaint on Monday seeking the return of "hush money" he says he paid to prevent a jilted lover from carrying out a "campaign of harassment."

Michael Goguen, who left Sequoia after the details of the lawsuit surfaced last week, said his relationship with Amber Baptiste was consensual and vehemently disputed her allegations that he sexually abused her for a period of 13 years.

In a cross-complaint containing salacious photographs and graphic sexual details, Goguen seeks to portray Amber Baptiste as a one-time stripper looking for "a payday."

"Ms. Baptiste's lawsuit filed on March 8, 2016 is but the latest ploy in her scheme to shakedown Mr. Goguen for tens of millions of dollars and punish him for rejecting her, all under the guise of a lawsuit designed to incite a media firestorm," reads Goguen's cross-complaint, which accuses Amber Baptise of extortion and invasion of privacy, among other claims. 

The lawsuit has landed like a bombshell in Silicon Valley, which has been grappling with issues of gender diversity and a male-dominated culture for years. Amber Baptiste, who worked as a stripper when Goguen met her in 2001, said in her lawsuit that Goguen raped and abused her for many years, including an alleged incident where she was left "bleeding and alone on the floor of a hotel room in a foreign country."

Goguen, a partner at Sequoia for nearly 20 years, allegedly signed a contract agreeing to pay Baptiste $40 million to drop a prospective lawsuit against him, but only paid $10 million of that sum, according to Baptiste's complaint.  

In his cross-complaint, Goguen argues that the relationship with Baptiste was consensual and that her suit is part of a "campaign of harassment" against him after he ended the relationship. The filing includes pictures of a scantily-clad woman - allegedly Amber Baptiste - as well as text messages that Amber Baptiste allegedly sent him. 

"Far from being a victim of any sort of abuse or mistreatment of any kind, Ms. Baptiste fell deeply in love with Mr. Goguen directly because of his  kind, caring, and compassionate treatment of her at every moment of their relationship," the complaint reads. 

"Enough is enough. Mr. Goguen is no longer willing to accede to Ms. Baptiste's threats, whatever the consequences," the complaint also says. 

Goguen's suit seeks for Amber Baptiste to return the $10 million he paid her, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. 

Business Insider reached out to Baptiste's attorney's for comment. 

You can read the filing here: