Riot Games to pay $100 million in gender discrimination case
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Riot Games announced Monday that a gender discrimination lawsuit from 2018 will be settled for $100 million.
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Riot Games headquarters in Los Angeles
Riot Games and Californian agencies announced Monday evening that they had reached an agreement to resolve a 2018 gender discrimination lawsuit of about $100 million.
According to accounts from both sides of the lawsuit, $80 million will be allocated to former and current employees of Riot Games along with $20 million to settle legal bills.
Riot was accused of "systemic sex discrimination and harassment," as well as discriminating against women in hiring, projects, and promotions, according to one plaintiff's testimony. Riot attempted to settle the complaint in 2019, but the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) demanded additional compensation.
The video game industry has been under severe scrutiny, with the DFEH embroiled in yet another anti-discrimination litigation against Activision Blizzard.
According to the counsel for the plaintiffs, Genie Harrison, the settlement represents "a great day for the women of Riot Games — and for women at all video game and tech companies — who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination."
In a statement, Riot claimed that they should "take responsibility for the past," and expressed that it hopes to bring "more accountability and equality to the games industry" by acknowledging those that had bad experiences at the company.
