Google said Sunday it was “delighted” to settle a class action lawsuit, without admitting wrongdoing, alleging it underpaid female workers and assigned them lower positions.
The $118 million settlement (approximately Rs. 922 crore) covers about 15,500 female employees who have worked for the company in California since September 2013, law firms Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP and Altshuler Berzon LLP said in a statement released Friday night.
The company also agreed to have a third party analyze its hiring and compensation practices as part of the settlement.
In a statement to AFP, Google said that “While we strongly believe in the fairness of our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that a resolution of the matter, without any acknowledgment or findings, would best interest.” from everyone, and we are very happy to reach this agreement.”
In 2017, several former Google employees sued the company in a San Francisco court, accusing the company of paying women less than men for similar positions and awarding women lower positions than men with similar experiences because they were more likely to receive lower salaries. had deserved.
According to a copy of the agreement released by the law firms, “Google denies all allegations in the lawsuit and states that it has fully complied with all applicable laws, rules and regulations at all times.”
A judge has yet to approve the deal, the plaintiffs’ two law firms said.
Google previously agreed in 2021 to pay $3.8 million (about Rs. 30 crore) to the US Department of Labor over allegations that it discriminated against women and Asians.