There is "legally liable for retaliation" and "morally liable". I think you are right, they aren't legally liable. I personally try not to be morally liable for

There is "legally liable for retaliation" and "morally liable". I think you are right, they aren't legally liable. I personally try not to be morally liable for an injustice, even if my actions are legally defensible, and I expect the same from the people I work with. I think many people at Google feel similarly, which is why the question of legal liability will not settle the matter internally. But yeah, another lesson from this: never offer to quit.