You may recall a while back when two female employees sued Riot Games over sexual harassment and gender discrimination, only to reach a settlement of around $10 million early last month. However, it turns out that the company may owe them even more than that.
The Los Angeles Times reports that two state agencies are attempting to stop the payout, if only because it believes the subjected employees deserve more. A lot more.
The state agencies believe that they could be entitled to as much as $400 million, which makes $10 million looks like a paltry amount by comparison. The settlement was amid approval by the Los Angeles Superior Court when the agencies opted to step in.
Filed on Jan. 8, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing noted that the 1,000 subjects of the settlement were entitled to “over $400 million,” based on wage differential between men and women that worked for the company. The figure comes from the company’s own investigation, which was taking place shortly after the two women filed suit.
The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement filed its objections to the case last month as well, noting that the lawyers failed in getting a higher amount on the settlement.
Both Riot Games and Rosen Saba have filed rebuttals against the state’s report, stating that the settlement was about to be reached. Riot spokesperson Joe Hixson said in a statement, “We worked hard to negotiate with the lawyer representing the class to reach an agreement that we collectively believe is fair for the class members. Now DFEH is trying to disrupt that agreement in a legal filing that is filled with inaccuracies and false allegations.”
“We are particularly dismayed that the filing downplays and ignores the efforts we have made with respect to diversity, inclusion, and culture over the past 18 months. We look forward to making our case to the Court.”
According to the original report from Kotaku, the women had gone through all kinds of harassment working at Riot Games, including “crotch-grabbing, phantom humping, and sending unsolicited and unwelcome pictures of male genitalia.”
By Feb. 3, the judge will decide whether to proceed with the settlement or note the complaint of the agencies.
Published: Jan 21, 2020 10:47 pm