California: Google has agreed to a $28 million (£21.55 million) settlement following a lawsuit alleging that white and Asian employees received better pay and career opportunities than workers from other ethnic backgrounds, according to a law firm illustrating the claimants.
The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by former employee Ana Cantu, claimed that Hispanic, Latino, Native American, and other minority workers started on lower salaries and job levels than their white and Asian counterparts. The settlement has acquired preliminary approval from Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California.
The case was based on a leaked internal document suggesting that employees from some ethnic backgrounds earned less for similar work. Cantu’s lawyers argued that Google’s basing starting pay and job levels on prior salaries supported historical disparities. The class-action lawsuit represents at least 6,632 employees who worked at Google between February 15, 2018, and December 31, 2024.
Cathy Coble, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, praised employees who shared pay data, stating that, “suspected pay inequity is too easily concealed without this kind of collective action from employees.”
Google, however, denied any wrongdoing. Google spokesperson stated that, “We resolved but continue to conflict with the allegations that we treated anyone differently and remain committed to paying, hiring, and levelling all employees fairly.”
The settlement comes as major U.S. companies, including Meta, Amazon, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Walmart, scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes. The shift aligns with policy changes under President Donald Trump, who has ordered government agencies and contractors to eliminate DEI initiatives.
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