Google stated on Sunday that it was happy to settle a class-action lawsuit in which it claimed it had wrongfully dismissed allegations that it underpaid female employees and placed them in lower-ranking jobs.
The $118 million settlement includes approximately 15,500 female employees who worked in California for the company since September 2013. This was according to Lieff Cabraser Heimann LLP and Altshuler Berzon LLP in a Friday night statement.
As part of the settlement, the company agreed to allow a third party analyzes its compensation and hiring practices.
Google stated in a statement to AFP that while they strongly believe in equity in our policies and practices, it was nearly five years of litigation that led to both parties agreeing that a resolution of the matter without admissions or findings would be in everyone’s best interests. We are very happy to have reached this agreement.
Former employees of Google sued the company in San Francisco. They claimed that it paid women less for similar positions than men and assigned women lower positions than men who had comparable experiences because they were previously earning smaller salaries.
A copy of the agreement was released by the law firms. It states that Google denies all allegations in the lawsuit and that it has fully complied with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations at all times.
The agreement must be approved by a judge, according to the two law firms representing the plaintiffs.
Google had previously agreed to pay $3.8million to the US Department of Labour in 2021 for discriminatory claims against Asians and women.
