Google has agreed to pay $28 million (£21.5 million) to settle a lawsuit alleging that white and Asian employees received better pay and career opportunities than workers from other ethnic backgrounds.
A law firm representing Google confirmed the settlement but maintained that the company denies any wrongdoing.
“We reached a resolution but continue to disagree with the allegations that we treated anyone differently,” a Google spokesperson told the BBC. “We remain committed to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees fairly.”
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The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by former Google employee Ana Cantu, claimed that Hispanic, Latino, Native American, and other non-white, non-Asian workers were systematically hired at lower salaries and job levels than their white and Asian counterparts.
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The case relied on a leaked internal document that allegedly showed employees from certain ethnic backgrounds were consistently paid less for similar work. Cantu’s legal team argued that Google’s practice of basing starting pay and job levels on prior salaries reinforced historical racial and ethnic disparities.
Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California has granted preliminary approval for the settlement. The class-action lawsuit covers at least 6,632 employees who worked at Google between February 15, 2018, and December 31, 2024, according to Reuters.
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Cathy Coble, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, praised the whistleblowers who exposed the alleged pay gaps. “The bravery of both the diverse and ally Googlers who self-reported their pay and leaked that data to the media played a crucial role in this case,” she said. “Suspected pay inequity is too easily concealed without collective action from employees.”
While Google maintains that it has not engaged in discriminatory practices, the case comes at a time when major U.S. corporations, including Meta, Amazon, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Walmart, have been scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The rollback of DEI programs has become a political flashpoint, with U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies frequently attacking such policies. Since his return to the White House, Trump has ordered government agencies and contractors to eliminate DEI initiatives, further fueling the ongoing debate over corporate diversity efforts.
READ ALSO: Here are 5 U.S. companies sticking by their DEI policies
