Google To Pay $28M To Settle Lawsuit For Favouring White, Asian Employees

Google has agreed to pay $28 million to settle a class action lawsuit that claims it pays white and Asian employees more and even puts them on a higher career track than other workers.

The lawsuit was led by Ana Cantu, a Mexican who is racially indigenous, on behalf of other minority communities including Hispanic, Latino, Native Americans at Google.

The accord with Google won approval from Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara county superior court in California last week.

He said the settlement was fair and reasonable and “a good result for the class” of 6,632 Google employees in California between 15 February 2018 and 31 December 2024.

Despite confirming the settlement, a Google spokesperson said, “We continue to disagree with the allegations that we treated anyone differently, and remain committed to paying, hiring and levelling all employees fairly.”

Cantu had claimed that inspite of working exemplarily for seven years at Google, she remained at the same job, while white and Asian employees got promotions and extra pay.

Moreover, she claimed that even for the same work, white and Asian employees were placed at higher job "levels" and workers who raised complaints would be withheld from promotions and raises.

She quit in September 2021 arguing that Google's actions violated the California Equal Pay Act.

The total settlement amount comes to $20.4 million after deducting $7 million for legal fees, penalties tied to Cantu's claim under California's Private Attorneys General Act, and other costs.