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Lawsuit claims Google favored white and Asian employees in pay and career growth.
Google will pay $28 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging the tech company discriminated against non-white employees in pay and promotions. Google systematically assigned higher-paying jobs to white and Asian employees while keeping promotions and salary raises out of reach for Hispanic, Latinx, Indigenous, Native American, Pacific Islander, and Alaska Native employees, the lawsuit alleged.
The settlement was given initial approval last week by Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California. The settlement will pay at least 6,632 impacted employees who were working at Google in California between February 15, 2018, and December 31, 2024.
Ana Cantu, the lead plaintiff, was employed at Google for seven years in its people operations and cloud divisions. She alleged that she was constantly passed over for promotions even though she worked at an exemplary level, while her white and Asian counterparts were promoted faster and paid more. She also accused Google of retaliating against those who complained about the discrimination.
Even as Google has consented to the settlement, the organization denied it had engaged in any wrongdoing. According to Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini, "We still disagree with the accusation that we treated anyone differently and are still committed to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees equally."
Most of the $28 million settlement—$7 million—will cover legal fees, penalties, and other expenses, leaving the remaining around $20.4 million for the affected workers.
Judge Adams set a Sept. 11 final approval hearing, during which the terms of the settlement will be examined prior to full adoption.
The case is an eye-opener that reflects ongoing suspicion about workplace equity in the industry, especially whether and how dominant companies approach diversity, promotions, and equitable pay practices.
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