Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends, will settle a 2018 gender discrimination lawsuit with California state agencies and several private plaintiffs for $100 million, The Washington Post reported Monday.
In August 2018, Kotaku published a report on Riot Games and its allegedly toxic workplace. A class-action lawsuit was filed by former employees in November 2018 alleging sexual misconduct and gender discrimination. The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) followed up with their own inquires.
Riot Games agreed to settle the lawsuit Monday by paying $80 million to all former and current women employees from November 2014 and onward. The remaining $20 million will go toward legal fees.
“This historic agreement reflects California’s commitment to strategic and effective government enforcement of the State’s robust equal-pay, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment laws,” Kevin Kish, DFEH director, said in a press release. “If entered by the court, this decree will compensate employees and contractors affected by sex discrimination and harassment, ensure lasting change in this workplace, and send the message that all industries in California, including the gaming industry, must provide equal pay and workplaces free from discrimination and harassment.”
BREAKING NEWS: Riot Games settles the 2018 California gender discrimination suit for $100 million. $80 million will go to women employees and contractors at Riot who worked there between 2014 and now. https://t.co/Il0PSj7T8G
— Shannon Liao (@Shannon_Liao) December 28, 2021
In addition to the settlement, Riot Games has agreed to a gender-equity analysis of employee pay, job assignments, and promotions by a third-party company approved by the DFEH for the next three years. The settlement still needs court approval, though a hearing is expected to take place in the coming months.
“Three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry,” Riot Games said via The Washington Post. “We had to face the fact that despite our best intentions, we hadn’t always lived up to our values. As a company we stood at a crossroads; we could deny the shortcomings of our culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose the latter. While we’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past. We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot.”
This settlement comes mere months after Overwatch and Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard, another California-based video game company, received similar workplace misconduct reports.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
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