Google said on Sunday that it was “extremely pleased” to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that it underpaid female employees and allocated women lower-ranking roles, without admitting any wrongdoing.
According to the law firms Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP and Altshuler Berzon LLP, the $118 million settlement covers around 15,500 female employees 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 hiring and remuneration procedures.
In a statement to AFP, Google said that “while we strongly believe in the equity of our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that resolution of the matter, without any admission or findings, was in the best interest of everyone, and we’re very pleased to reach this agreement.”
Several ex-Google employees sued the firm in a San Francisco court in 2017, alleging that the corporation paid women less than males for equal jobs and assigned women to lower positions than men with the same expertise because they had previously earned lower salaries.
“Google denies all of the allegations in the lawsuit and maintains that it has fully complied with all applicable laws, rules and regulations at all times,” according to a copy of the agreement shared by the legal firms.
According to the plaintiffs’ two law firms, the deal must still be approved by a judge.
In 2021, Google agreed to pay the US Department of Labor $3.8 million in response to allegations that it biased against women and Asians.
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