$100M Riot Games settlement over workplace gender discrimination gets preliminary approval

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Update:

• A California judge has given the green light to a $100 million settlement that resolves claims the Riot Games’ workplace was filled with systemic gender discrimination and harassment against female employees and temporary agency contractors.
• Plaintiffs Melanie McCracken and Jess Negrón filed a class action lawsuit against Riot Games in 2018, arguing their former employer was in violation of the California Equal Pay Act due to the allegedly hostile workplace.
• On July 22, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle preliminarily approved the settlement reached between female contractors and employees of the game company and the League of Legends creator. There was no opposition from either party.
• Under the agreement, a minimum of $80 million will go to about 1,065 female Riot employees and about 1,300 temporary contract workers, plus up to $20 million in attorneys fees. The settlement covers a class period from Nov. 6, 2014, through Dec. 21, 2021.

Riot Games hostile workplace class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Riot Games has agreed to a $100 million settlement with current and former female employees. 
• Why: Female employees claim Riot Games fostered a workplace culture of gender discrimination and harassment.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

(Jan. 03, 2022)

Riot Games has agreed to a $100 million settlement to resolve claims that the game developer’s workplace was filled with system gender discrimination and harassment against female employees and temporary agency contractors.

Plaintiffs Melanie McCracken and Jess Negrón filed a class action lawsuit against Riot Games in 2018, arguing their former employer was in violation of the California Equal Pay Act due to the allegedly hostile workplace. 

McCracken and Negrón previously agreed to a $10 million settlement with Riot Games; however, California’s Department of Fair Employment Housing (DFEH) and Division of Labor Standards Enforcement put a halt to it after individually determining the amount was inadequate.

Following the initial settlement, Riot Games filed a motion to have female employees settle their claims in secret arbitration hearings. 

The new agreement involves all parties and calls for Riot Games to pay at least $80 million of the settlement to compensate current and former female employees and contractors who have worked at the company since Nov. 6, 2014 to the present, JURIST reports.  

Riot to place $6M in cash reserve to fund diversity, equity, inclusion programs

Kevin Kish, the director of California DFEH, said in a statement that he was pleased with the agreement and hopes it sends a message.

“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,” Kish said. “(This decree will) send the message that all industries in California, including the gaming industry, must provide equal pay and workplaces free from discrimination and harassment.” 

Riot Games will also enter $6 million into a cash reserve for three years in order to fund programs aimed at improving diversity, equity, and inclusion, reports JURIST. 

Third party experts will also be hired as part of the settlement agreement to ensure Riot Games improves its workplace culture by conducting compliance audits and gender-equity analyses. 

A similar class action lawsuit was filed against Sony last month by a former employee who argues the company fosters a culture of discrimination against its female employees. 

Were you discriminated against or harassed while working for Riot Games? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Genie Harrison of Genie Harrison Law Firm, APC. 

The Riot Games Hostile Workplace Class Action Lawsuit is McCracken, et al. v. Riot Games, et al., Case No. 18STCV03957, in the Superior Court of the State of California. 

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