Google Settles $50M Lawsuit Alleging Bias Against 4,000 Black Employees

Google has agreed to pay $50 million in a racial bias lawsuit against Black staff workers. On Thursday evening, a preliminary settlement covering over 4,000 Google employees in California and New York was filed in Oakland, California federal court, which requires a judge’s approval, according to Reuters.

The lawsuit

In 2022, the plaintiff, April Curley, proposed a class action lawsuit from the California Civil Rights Department, stating that management gave opportunities only for lower-ranked roles, paid them less, gave them lower performance ratings, and stopped them from opportunities for development within the company.

Curley, who was hired to grow Google’s outreach to historically Black colleges, stated that Google stereotyped her as an “angry” Black woman, denied her promotions, and dismissed her after six years as she started building a report on its alleged racial bias.

The complaint also said that in 2021, Black employees comprised only 4.4% of Google’s workforce and 3% of its leadership. Other Black employees shared that they were not “Googley” enough.

The settlement

Google has settled for $50 million but refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing to Black employees.

In an email statement on Friday, Courtenay Mencini said, “We strongly disagree with the allegations that we treated anyone improperly and remain committed to paying, hiring, and leveling all employees consistently.”

In March, Google agreed to pay $28 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that it favored white and Asian employees over other racial and ethnic groups by offering them higher salaries and placing them on faster career tracks.

Image: Google