Riot Games Agrees to Settle Gender Discrimination Suit for $10M

Riot Games agreed to pay $10 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit.

Riot Games recently agreed to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit for $10 million that will be paid out to every woman who has worked for the company in the last five years. According to the suit that was originally filed, many women working for the company detailed out instances of systematic gender discrimination that put them at a disadvantage compared to their male coworkers. For example, investigations into the matter discovered the gaming company had a ‘bro’ office culture that often “encouraged harassment and gender discrimination.” Additionally, some plaintiffs argued that the office culture played part in some of the company’s hiring and promotion practices when it came to women. To make matters worse, the suit also alleged women were “paid less than men in the same or a similar position.”

As part of the settlement agreement, the plaintiffs will “receive some amount of money determined by their tenure, length, and status as an employee.” But why is the settlement so large? As Ryan Saba, the attorney for the plaintiffs stated shortly after the settlement announcement, this is one of the largest settlements for gender discrimination ever in the state of California. One reason for the large amount is to “make up for what Saba determined was a significant difference in salary between men and women at the company.”

When commenting on the matter, Saba said, “This shows that Riot is serious about changing the culture at the company.”

Riot also chimed in on the agreement and said:

We are pleased that a proposed settlement to fully resolve the class action lawsuit against Riot was filed recently by plaintiffs counsel. The settlement is another important step forward, and demonstrates our commitment to living up to our values and to making Riot an inclusive environment for the Industry’s best talent.” 

The recent settlement is another step the company has taken this year to get rid of its culture of sexism. Over the course of the last year, the company has begun overhauling “recruitment, hiring and promotion processes; offering clearer job descriptions; removing problem employees; bringing in third-party culture consultants and a diversity director; appointing women into leadership positions; and offering employees channels to offer feedback on their progress.”

When asked about the recent changes and settlement agreement, one employee who currently worked for the company said:

“It’s great that Riot has decided to compensate women for the abuse they suffered here, but their rhetoric about ‘healing and moving on’ leaves something to be desired. It’s difficult to heal and move on when we are faced with the reality that at the end of the day, Riot prefers to pay the women still here for the trouble of continuing to work with alleged abusers.”

Sources:

Riot Games to pay $10M to female employees in lawsuit settlement

Riot Games resolves to pay $10M to settle gender discrimination lawsuit