Riot Games agrees to pay $135m to settle gender discrimination lawsuit

Riot Games agrees to pay $135m to settle gender discrimination lawsuit
A Tencent sign is seen at the World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 20, 2019.
PHOTO: Reuters

Tencent Holdings' Riot Games on Monday (Dec 27) said it has agreed to pay US$100 million (S$135 million) to settle a 2018 gender-based discrimination class-action lawsuit with California state agencies and current and former women employees.

The company said it will pay US$80 million to the members of the class-action suit, comprising all current and former full-time women employees and temporary agency contractors in California who worked from November 2014 to present.

An additional US$20 million will be paid towards attorneys' fees and miscellaneous expenses, Riot Games said in a statement.

"In an effort to drive ongoing transparency and accountability, Riot has also committed to having its internal reporting and pay equity processes monitored by a third party jointly approved by Riot and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing for three years," the company said.

A final approval of the settlement by the court is pending, with a hearing expected in the coming months, the statement added.

The lawsuit was filed in November 2018 by now-former employees Melanie McCracken and Jess Negrón, alleging gender discrimination as well as sexual harassment and misconduct at Riot Games, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The suit was followed by two inquiries led by California state agencies, the reported added.

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