Court Grants Final Approval to Settlement of Pay Equity Class Action Against Google Providing $118 Million in Class Monetary Relief and Comprehensive Injunctive Relief

On October 25, 2022, San Francisco Superior Judge Andrew Y.S. Cheng granted final approval to the settlement and consent decree in the pay equity class action against Google in Ellis v. Google LLC.  The settlement covers approximately 17,200 female employees in 236 job titles (“covered positions”) in California since September 14, 2013.  The class members challenged Google’s practices of paying women less than men in the same job codes and assigning women to lower-paying salary levels than men with similar education and experience based on women’s lower pay at previous employers.

Under the settlement, Google will pay $118 million in monetary relief and provide three years of injunctive relief.  As part of the injunctive relief, Google will retain an expert in Industrial Organizations psychology to improve its leveling process so that it does not rely on prior pay in setting salary levels and instead focuses on education, experience, and skills. Google will also retain a labor economist to ensure that persons who perform substantially similar work are paid the same.

Altshuler Berzon LLP and Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP serve as Class Counsel.