Settlement Structure: Claims Made
Active: Open
Case Summary:Google is paying $118 million to settle a class action alleging it discriminated against women by paying them less than it paid men performing substantially similar work, and by relying on new hires’ previous pay levels to assign them to lower levels than men with similar qualifications and experience. The complaint alleged that the company violated California’s Equal Pay Act and its Unfair Competition Law, among other things. A list of covered positions is available at the settlement website, at www.GoogleCAPaySettlement.com.
Docket Number:CGC-17-561299
Company: Google, LLC
Filing Deadline: January 1, 2100
Class Period: September 14, 2013 to July 25, 2022
Objection Deadline: October 11, 2022
Exclusion Deadline: October 11, 2022
Final Approval Hearing: October 24, 2022
Proof of Purchase:You do not have to provide proof to participate in the settlement.
Eligibility:You may be eligible if you are a woman and an employee (that is, an employee who identifies as female) in one of the following classes:
- The Equal Pay Act Class is all women employed by Google in a Covered Position in California at any time between September 14, 2013 and July 25, 2022 who have not opted out of the class.
- The FEHA Claim Subclass is all women employed by Google in a Covered Position in California at any time between September 14, 2013 and July 25, 2022, excluding campus hires and women hired after August 28, 2017 who have not opted out of the class.
- The PAGA Group Members are all women employed by Google in a Covered Position in California at any time from June 14, 2021 through July 25, 2022, regardless of whether they opt out of the class for the settlement.
The net settlement fund to be used for the payment of benefits is expected to be approximately $86 million, to be distributed as set out in Section 9 of the Notice. Forty percent will go to the Equal Pay Class; 60% will go to the FEHA Claim Subclass. A sum of $187,500 will allocated for payments to PAGA Group Members.
Class members with a hire date on or after January 1, 2022 will be allocated a flat sum of $250 only. Class members with a hire date on or before December 31, 2022 will be allocated a minimum amount of $500, except that those who worked for Google for fewer than six months during the class period will be allocated a minimum of $250.
Additional payments will be based on formulas set forth in the Exhibit C to the Settlement Agreement at the settlement website, or in the Notice at https://www.googlecapaysettlement.com/admin/api/connectedapps.cms.extensions/asset?id=3bbf09f1-ee74-4b30-af4b-9ca8fc19c825&languageId=1033&inline=true.
Google will also be required to hire independent experts and an independent monitor for related hiring issues and compliance with the terms of the settlement.
Total Settlement Amount: $118,000,000
Class Representative Proposed Incentive Fee:Up to $225,000 in total
Law Firms:
Altshuler Berzon LLP
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Case Name: Ellis v. Google, LLC
Settlement Website: Google CA Pay Settlement Website
Claims Administrator:
JND Legal Administration
Google CA Pay Settlement
c/o JND Legal Administration
PO BOX 91343
Seattle, WA 98111
Info@GoogleCAPaySettlement.com
888-681-2480