Riot Games Pays $100 Million to Settle Sexism Lawsuit
According to a report by The Washington Post, Riot Games is tackling a long-standing, $100 million, gender-based discrimination class action lawsuit. More specifically, $80 million would go to the class action members and the remaining $20 million would cover plaintiffs’ legal costs.
According to Shannon Liao of The Washington Post, “All current and former California employees and contractors who identified as women and worked for Riot Games from November 2014 to the present are eligible to receive payments.” Women who have been with the company longer or hired earlier at Riot because of the 2,300 or more eligible participants may receive a higher payout claim.
This Settlement Agreement was originally signed in 2018 with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), and several private plaintiffs in the McCracken v. Riot Games lawsuit filed in 2018. In the lawsuit, former employees allege that the work culture of the League of Legends developers was deeply misogynistic. This includes discriminating against women in the workplace and refusing to hire women who are not considered ‘core gamers’ by the company. Originally, the lawsuit was due to be settled in 2019 for one-tenth of the amount reported at the time. California’s Department of Fair Housing and Employment intervened today to deny the amount that led to the payment agreed upon.
Riot has provided a statement to Game Informer regarding the settlement. The company said:
“Three years ago, Riot was the most important player in our industry. We had to face the fact that despite our best intentions, we didn’t always live up to our values. As a company we were at a crossroads; We can deny our culture’s flaws, we can apologize, we can correct our direction, we can make Riot better. We chose the latter. We are very grateful to all Rioter for their efforts to create a culture where inclusivity is the norm. Where we are deeply committed to fairness and equality, and where embracing diversity fosters creativity and innovation.
We’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, but we also have to take responsibility for our past. We hope that this reconciliation will recognize those who have had negative experiences with Riot and demonstrate our desire to take the lead in bringing more accountability and equality to the gaming industry.”
In addition, we received affidavits from Genie Harrison Law Firm and Plaintiffs’ Representatives at JML Law. “Today is a great day for women at Riot Games, and for women at all video game and tech companies, who deserve a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. Starting in 2018, we are committed to helping Riot introspect and become a more diverse and diverse company. We appreciate the effort, said Genie Harrison, “an inclusive company, a commitment to the past, and a commitment to fairness and equity that continues into the future.” JML Law’s Joseph M. Lovretovich added: And they The treatment you deserve under the law.”
Other changes are being implemented in Riot’s workplace culture, including providing a better path for contractors or temporary employees to be fully hired by the company and better pay system transparency for potential new hires. Additionally, a press release provided by Riot to Game Informer states that “Riot has committed to monitoring internal reporting and pay equity processes by a third party jointly approved by Riot and DFEH for a period of three years.”
