Judge Approves Settlement: Google Told Hispanic Plaintiffs If You Drop Black Employees From Lawsuit, We Will Settle For $28 Million

By: Ann Brown

Google has agreed to a $28 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of favoring white and Asian employees over their Hispanic, Latinx, Indigenous, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Alaska Native colleagues. The lawsuit, led by Ana Cantu, claimed that Google systematically paid these underrepresented groups less and denied them promotions compared to white and Asian counterparts performing similar work.

The settlement, which received preliminary approval from Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, came after Cantu’s legal team agreed to exclude Black employees from the proposed class—something Google had sought as a condition for settlement.

Cantu, a former Google employee who worked in the company’s people operations and cloud departments for seven years, stated that despite her exemplary performance, she remained stuck at the same job level while white and Asian peers advanced with better pay, CNN reported. She alleged that Google placed white and Asian employees in higher job levels than others and withheld raises and promotions from those who challenged the system.

Cantu identifies as Mexican and racially Indigenous and led the lawsuit on behalf of Hispanic, Latinx, Indigenous, Native American, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Alaska Native employees at Google.

The settlement marks a significant legal milestone as it addresses allegations of systemic discrimination and wage inequality under the California Equal Pay Act. The case relied heavily on a leaked 2022 Google internal pay spreadsheet, which revealed that diverse employees consistently reported lower compensation than their white and Asian counterparts. These findings were later corroborated by a labor economist who analyzed Google’s payroll data.

Gunn Coble LLP, a Los Angeles-based civil rights law firm representing Cantu, called the settlement a victory in the ongoing fight for pay equity.

As part of the settlement, Google has agreed to work with a Labor Economist and Industrial/Occupational Psychologist to evaluate its annual pay equity audits and hiring practices. The goal is to ensure fair compensation and equal opportunities moving forward.

The final settlement approval hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11.Google continues to deny any wrongdoing, stating that it remains committed to paying and promoting employees fairly.

Although Black employees were not allowed to be part of this lawsuit, Black employees have too complained of discrimination at the tech giant. Former Google diversity recruiter April Curley and other Black employees sued the company separate in March 2022, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation, ABC News reported. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump filed the lawsuit, claiming Google maintains a racist culture that undervalues and mistreats Black workers. Curley, who held a master’s degree and five years of experience, was hired at an entry-level position and consistently passed over for promotions. After recruiting over 500 Black students, she spoke out about Google’s discriminatory practices and was allegedly terminated in retaliation. The lawsuit claims Black employees are steered into lower-level roles with less pay and limited advancement opportunities.