Court approves Riot Games’ $100 million gender discrimination settlement 

Last year, Riot Games agreed to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million. Now it has been approved by the court, meaning that women who sued the company will get their compensation.

• A California judge granted preliminary approval to the settlement over the weekend, according to Axios.
• Women who currently work at Riot or were employed by the company between November 2014 and December 2021 will receive thousands of dollars in compensation.
• Employees eligible for the settlement will be notified by the end of August. They can also opt out until the end of October.
• As part of the settlement, Riot will be under independent oversight for the next three years.
• The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2018, when several women accused Riot of gender discrimination and harassment at the workplace. The parties reached a $10 million settlement in 2019, but California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) objected to the deal.
• Last year, the DFEH also asked the court to compel Riot to issue a corrective notice, so its employees could freely speak about their rights with the government. As a result, the final $100 million settlement was reached in December 2021.

The court’s approval follows Activision Blizzard’s $18 million harassment settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The company still has a few active lawsuits, including the one filed by the DFEH in July 2021. Despite the size of the settlement being criticized by different organizations, lawyers have already called it a “clear win” for Activision Blizzard.