The Riot Games lawsuit settlement is a $100 million class action resolution covering about 1,548 women who worked at the League of Legends developer’s California offices between November 2014 and December 2021. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted final approval on May 16, 2023, ending a case that began with a 2018 complaint alleging gender-based pay discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. Roughly $80 million went to class members, and a three-year consent decree put Riot’s pay, promotions, and harassment-complaint handling under independent monitoring.1Bloomberg Law. Riot Games $100 Million Sex Discrimination Settlement Approved
What the Lawsuit Alleged
On November 6, 2018, Melanie McCracken and Jessica Negron filed McCracken, et al. v. Riot Games Inc. in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (case number 18STCV03957). The complaint said Riot violated California’s Equal Pay Act through gender-based pay discrimination, and it added claims of retaliation and sexual harassment.2Econ One. McCracken, et al. v. Riot Games Inc.
The suit followed an August 2018 Kotaku investigation in which 28 current and former employees described a workplace they compared to a “giant fraternity.” At the time, Riot was 81 percent male and had no chief diversity officer, no pay equity practices, and an all-male leadership team. Women told the outlet they were passed over for promotions, subjected to unsolicited explicit images, and, in one case, ranked on a list circulated among senior leaders.3Kotaku. Inside the Culture of Sexism at Riot Games
The certified class ultimately covered all current and former female employees and temporary contractors who worked at Riot in California between November 6, 2014, and December 27, 2021.4California Civil Rights Department. Lawsuit Update: Riot Games
How the Settlement Grew From $10 Million to $100 Million
In December 2019, the parties announced a preliminary settlement of $10 million. It didn’t hold. On January 8, 2020, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (now the Civil Rights Department) formally objected, arguing that women at Riot could be owed more than $400 million in back pay based on the wage gap between men and women at the company. The agency also said the proposed deal required no enforceable changes to Riot’s policies.5Los Angeles Times. Riot Games Gender Discrimination Settlement
Riot called the $400 million figure “absurd” and “click-bait,” saying the state’s methodology ignored differences in job duties, skills, and experience.6Business Insider. California Officials Say Riot Games Could Owe $400 Million The state’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement also moved to intervene, arguing that the original plaintiffs’ counsel had not done adequate diligence.5Los Angeles Times. Riot Games Gender Discrimination Settlement
The class representatives then replaced their original attorneys with women’s rights lawyer Genie Harrison and employment lawyer Joseph Lovretovich. The new counsel withdrew the pending approval motion and commissioned an independent pay-disparity analysis. Harrison said the goal was to “recover the compensation due to the women of Riot Games and achieve institutional reform.”7The Hollywood Reporter. Riot Games Proposed $10M Settlement Withdrawn by New Counsel
Nearly two more years of litigation followed. On December 27, 2021, Riot announced a global $100 million settlement. The company attributed the tenfold increase to a class that had more than doubled since 2019, the intervention of state agencies, and continued legal costs running into tens of millions of dollars a year.8Riot Games. Riot Settlement
Where the $100 Million Went
Judge Elihu M. Berle granted final approval on May 16, 2023. The settlement covered 1,548 class members.1Bloomberg Law. Riot Games $100 Million Sex Discrimination Settlement Approved
- $80 million was allocated to workers. Individual payouts ranged from $5,000 to $156,056, with an average estimated payment of roughly $49,700.1Bloomberg Law. Riot Games $100 Million Sex Discrimination Settlement Approved
- $4 million went to penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act.9California Civil Rights Department. Civil Rights Department Secures Court Approval of $100 Million Settlement Against Riot Games
- The remaining funds went to attorneys’ fees and administrative costs.10California Civil Rights Department. Riot Games Press Release
The Three-Year Consent Decree
The money was only part of the deal. The accompanying consent decree imposed structural obligations on Riot’s California operations for three years.
- Independent monitoring. Riot had to hire and fund a third-party expert, approved by the Civil Rights Department, to conduct annual gender-equity analyses of pay, job assignments, and promotions. A separate independent monitor was tasked with auditing how the company handled sexual harassment complaints.11California Civil Rights Department. Riot Games Inc. Agrees to $100 Million Settlement and Systemic Reforms
- An $18 million reserve fund. Riot had to set aside $6 million per year for three years to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and to make pay adjustments.9California Civil Rights Department. Civil Rights Department Secures Court Approval of $100 Million Settlement Against Riot Games
- 40 full-time positions. Riot committed to making 40 permanent roles in engineering, quality assurance, and art-design available to qualified class members who had previously worked as temporary contractors.12The Sacramento Bee. Riot Games Settlement Approved
When Payments Went Out
Most settlement checks were sent in July 2023. According to Game Developer, 1,549 women received a combined $64.7 million, with individual amounts determined by length of employment at Riot. By December 2023, 90 checks totaling $1.9 million remained uncashed, with those funds scheduled to be donated to organizations including Rewriting the Code and Women in Games if not claimed by the end of January 2024.13Game Developer. About 1,600 Women Received Payments From Riot Games After Discrimination Suit
The Separate Lawsuit Against CEO Nicolo Laurent
A different case is sometimes confused with the class action. In January 2021, Sharon O’Donnell, a former executive assistant to then-CEO Nicolo Laurent, filed her own lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging Laurent created a hostile work environment. Laurent denied the allegations, and a Riot board–commissioned third-party investigation reported “no evidence” of misconduct by him.14The Hollywood Reporter. Riot Games Investigation Finds No Evidence of Misconduct by CEO Nicolo Laurent The case went to arbitration, where the arbitrator ruled O’Donnell’s claims unfounded. The Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed that award in December 2024, and in October 2024 the arbitrator awarded Riot and Laurent $20,000 in sanctions against O’Donnell for her online conduct during the proceedings.15Riot Games. Update on 2021 Lawsuit That case is separate from the $100 million class action and produced no payment to the plaintiff.