League of Legends Developer Riot Games to Settle Class Action Gender Discrimination Lawsuit for $10 Million
Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends will settle a class action gender discrimination law suit.
The class action lawsuit brought by Melanie McCracken and Jessica Negron alleged Riot Games violated the California Equal Pay act and that employees were sexually harassed and discriminated against based on their gender.
A Riot Games spokesperson issued a statement confirming the company would be settling the class action lawsuit:
“We’re pleased to have a proposed settlement to fully resolve the class action lawsuit. 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 Los Angeles Times reports, “Riot Games agreed to pay out at least $10 million to women who worked at the company in the last five years.”
However, court documents reveal that Net Settlement Proceeds after attorneys’ fees and litigation costs “are estimated to be at least $6,201,666.67.”
The LA Times reports around 1,000 individuals who self-identify as women and who were either employees or contractors will be eligible to receive a payout from the settlement.
The payout will be allocated based on each individual’s “tenure, length and status as either an employee ($2,500 or $5,000) or temporary agency contractor ($500 or $1000).”
Plaintiffs Jessica Negron and Gabriela Downie will receive $10,000 each and “will be paid in addition to any payment they may otherwise receive as members of the proposed class.”
The reports of alleged sexism at Riot Games surfaced in August of 2018, highlighted by a story from Kotaku.
The Kotaku piece cited gender pay differences, male and female employees receiving “unsolicited and unwelcome pictures of male genitalia from bosses or colleagues,” and a pervasive “bro culture” as major issues within the company.
Related: Riot Games Responds After Former Employees Accuse the Company of a Sexism
In should be noted that in March, Riot Games hired its chief diversity officer Angela Roseboro.
Riot does have some people named in the law suit under its employ. One such person is COO Scott Gelb, who was suspended without pay for two months late last year. Gelb was disciplined for alleged behavior such as farting in colleagues’ faces.
Riot Games issued the following statement about Gelb’s suspension at the time:
“After carefully reviewing and considering the findings, the Special Committee of Riot’s Board of Directors determined that a two-month, unpaid leave of absence, along with training, was the appropriate action given the allegations that were substantiated. We can also confirm that many of the rumors circulating about Scott within the company, the media, and other channels were actually not true.”
Riot Games reportedly made over $1.4 billion dollars in revenue in 2018 with League of Legends. The company is owned by Tencent, the Chinese media and tech giant.
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