Google has agreed to a proposed $50 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of systemic racial discrimination against Black employees. The deal, which blends cash payments with policy changes on pay and hiring, would cover current and former Black and "Black+" workers in California and New York. A federal judge granted preliminary approval in December, and a final fairness hearing was set for Thursday.
What the deal would do
Under the agreement, Google would put $50 million into a settlement fund and roll out a set of ongoing policy measures around pay and hiring, according to the Curley Settlement. The company would conduct annual pay-equity analyses to spot unexplained racial gaps before finalizing compensation decisions. It would also start including salary ranges in job postings and make pay ranges available to current employees who ask.
The deal further states that Google will not require or enforce mandatory arbitration for employment disputes through August 2026. The $50 million fund is intended to cover individual awards to class members, court-approved service awards for named plaintiffs, attorneys’ fees, and the costs of administering the settlement.
Who is covered and what they alleged
The proposed class covers employees whom Google’s records identify as Black or Black+ who held job levels 3-6 in California or New York during specified time periods. According to the parties and press coverage, that group numbers around 4,000 people.
In the complaint filed in March 2022, plaintiffs said managers steered Black employees into lower-level roles, paid them less than non-Black peers, downgraded their performance ratings, and failed to properly investigate or address complaints about discriminatory treatment.
Money and lawyers
Lawyers for the class say they will ask the court to approve attorneys’ fees of up to one-quarter of the gross settlement fund, about $12.5 million, as set out in the settlement papers. The agreement also emphasizes that the deal is a negotiated compromise to resolve the class claims and is not an admission of liability by Google.
Local context and fallout
Lead plaintiff April Curley, who was hired to run outreach to historically Black colleges and universities, alleges she was stereotyped on the job and later pushed out after raising concerns. Those claims appear in court filings and have been reported by local outlets.
The case lands against a broader backdrop of controversy around diversity and the treatment of Black employees at Google. Observers have pointed to earlier high-profile episodes, including the 2020 departure of AI researcher Timnit Gebru, as they debate the company’s culture and commitment to inclusion. A different racial-bias settlement involving Google was also resolved earlier last year, per Hoodline.
What happens next
The court previously set deadlines this spring for class members to opt out or file objections, and held a final-approval hearing yesterday. If the judge grants final approval, the next step would be to notify class members and begin the claims process, following the schedule the court has already laid out.
No settlement checks will go out unless and until the court enters a final approval order, and class members retained the right to object or, earlier in the process, to remove themselves from the settlement altogether.
Legal implications
Beyond individual payments, the agreement would lock in several years of reporting and internal checks designed to uncover and correct unexplained pay differences, while preserving clearer information on job levels and pay ranges for employees. If the court signs off, the settlement’s release language would prevent participating class members from bringing the same race-based employment claims covered by the deal in future lawsuits.
