Google to Pay $118 Million in Class-Action Pay Disparity and Gender Discrimination Settlement

Google said on Sunday that it was “extremely happy” to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that it underpaid female workers and gave women lower-ranking roles without admitting any wrongdoing.

In a statement posted Friday night, the legal firms Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP and Altshuler Berzon LLP stated the $118 million (approximately Rs. 922 crores) settlement covers over 15,500 female workers who have worked for the corporation in California since September 2013.

As part of the settlement, the business agreed to have a third party examine its recruiting and payment procedures.

“While we strongly believe in the equity of our policies and practices,” Google said in a statement to AFP, “after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that resolution of the matter, without any admission or findings, was in everyone’s best Interest, and we’re very pleased to reach this agreement.”

Several former Google workers sued the firm in a San Francisco court in 2017, alleging that the corporation paid women less than males for similar jobs and assigned them to lower positions than men with the same expertise because they had previously earned lower salaries.

“Google rejects all of the accusations in the case and maintains that it has completely complied with all relevant laws, rules, and regulations at all times,” according to a copy of the agreement shared by the legal firms.

According to the plaintiffs’ two legal firms, the deal must still be approved by a court.

In 2021, Google agreed to pay the US Department of Labor $3.8 million (approximately Rs. 30 crores) to settle allegations that it discriminated against women and Asians.