Google has Agreed to Pay $118 Million to Settle a Lawsuit Alleging Gender Discrimination

Google has agreed to pay $118 million to settle a gender discrimination class-action lawsuit in the United States involving nearly 15,500 women in 236 job titles. Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease, Kelli Wisuri, and Heidi Lamar, the plaintiffs, have worked for Google in California in a "covered position" since September 14, 2013. The gender discrimination class-action lawsuit was filed in 2017.

Google must also hire an Independent Labour Economist to evaluate its hiring practices and conduct pay equity studies.

"In addition to monetary relief, the settlement provides that an independent third party expert will analyse Google's levelling-at-hire practices and that an independent labour economist will review Google's pay equity studies," plaintiffs' law firms said in a statement.

Over the next three years, the post-settlement work will be overseen by an external Settlement Monitor. Plaintiffs believe these programmes "will help ensure that women are not paid less than their male counterparts who perform substantially similar work, and that Google's challenged levelling practises are equitable.”

Ellis worked as a Software Engineer at Google's Mountain View office for about four years before leaving as a Senior Manager. Wisuri worked for Google for approximately 2.5 years in its Mountain View office in various roles, while Pease worked for Google for approximately 10.5 years in both Mountain View and Sunnyvale, holding numerous technical leadership roles.