Tencent Holdings' Riot Games, the company best known for League of Legends, will pay $100 million to settle a 2018 class-action lawsuit with California state agencies and current and former female employees alleging gender discrimination, the company announced on Monday.
The company said it has agreed to pay $80 million to the members of the class-action suit, comprising all current and former full-time female employees and temporary agency contractors in California who worked from November 2014 to the present.
An additional $20 million will be paid toward attorneys' fees and miscellaneous expenses, Riot Games said in a statement.
"In an effort to drive ongoing transparency and accountability, Riot has also committed to having its internal reporting and pay equity processes monitored by a third party jointly approved by Riot and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing for three years," the company said. Final approval of the settlement by the court is pending, with a hearing expected in the coming months, the statement added.
The lawsuit was filed in November 2018 by now-former employees Melanie McCracken and Jess Negron, alleging gender discrimination, sexual harassment and misconduct at Riot Games, the Washington Post reported on Monday. The report added that the suit was followed by two inquiries led by California state agencies.
