Riot Games has received final approval from the courts for its settlement in the 2018 gender discrimination case, the company announced today. The $100 million settlement, which was initially announced in 2021, has now been given the green light. As part of the settlement, Riot Games will be paying over 1,500 women who worked with the company between 2014 and 2021.
The settlement terms state that Riot Games will distribute $80 million to all current and former full-time employees and temporary agency contractors who were dassociated with the company from November 2014 until the time of the settlement. This amount will be divided among 1,548 women who are eligible for a share of the settlement. The remaining $20 million will cover attorney fees and other expenses.
Gaude Paez, Riot’s SVP of corporate affairs, expressed gratitude in a statement, saying, “Today, the Court stated that it is granting final approval of Riot’s global class action settlement, bringing to a close our litigation with the class action plaintiffs, the California Civil Rights Department, and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. This has been a long road for everyone involved, and we’re grateful to Rioters for their patience and support throughout this process.”
In addition to the financial settlement, Riot Games has also committed to having its pay equity and internal reporting processes monitored by a third party for a period of three years. The appointment of the third party will be made jointly by Riot and California’s Civil Rights Department.
Paez emphasized Riot’s dedication to fostering an inclusive culture, stating, “We know that trust is not a given – it’s earned – and it’s up to us to earn that trust each and every day through the experiences we create for Rioters and for players. We’ve worked hard over the past several years to create a culture at Riot where inclusivity is the norm and embracing diversity fuels creativity, and we’re committed to making sure that remains true moving forward.”
Since the settlement was initially announced, Riot Games has taken steps to improve the representation of women within the company. According to their 2022 Annual Impact Report, women now make up 27.5% of the workforce and 25.9% of leadership positions.
However, it remains unclear how many senior employees accused of sexism and harassment were terminated as a result of the lawsuit. Recently, Nicolo Laurent, who was implicated in the lawsuit, stepped down as CEO of Riot Games.
