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Riot Games’ $100 Million Settlement: What It Covered and Required

A Los Angeles court approved Riot Games’ $100 million consent decree in 2023. Here’s what the fund covered, the reforms it required, and how it differed from a separate lawsuit.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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In May 2023, a Los Angeles Superior Court gave final approval to a $100 million consent decree resolving California employment and civil-rights claims against Riot Games. The agreement earmarked $80 million for worker compensation and required workplace reforms and independent monitoring. It resolved allegations; a trial did not establish that Riot was liable.

What the $100 million Riot Games settlement covered

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) said the settlement addressed approximately 1,600 women employees, including contract workers. Of the $100 million total fund, $80 million was dedicated to worker compensation. The sources do not establish how much any individual received, so the total should not be divided by the approximate number of workers to estimate an average award. CRD’s final-approval announcement describes the fund and class.

The decree also included $4 million in penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Separately, it set aside $6 million per year for three years—a total reserve of $18 million—for pay adjustments and inclusion programs. CRD’s preliminary-approval announcement described those provisions.

What Riot was required to do

  • Fund pay and inclusion measures: Maintain the $18 million reserve across the decree’s three-year term for pay adjustments and inclusion programs.
  • Open opportunities to former temporary contractors: Make 40 full-time positions available through a competitive process to qualified class members who had worked as temporary contractors.
  • Analyze gender equity: Arrange annual independent analysis of pay, job assignments, and promotions.
  • Use an independent monitor: Monitor workplace protections for three years.

These requirements accompanied monetary relief rather than replacing it. The official announcements establish the decree’s design, but do not establish the current completion status of every reform or monitoring obligation.

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How the case developed

  1. October 2018: CRD said it notified Riot that it was investigating allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation affecting women employees and temporary agency contractors.
  2. November 2018: Former employees filed a putative class action in Los Angeles Superior Court. The private case initially proposed a $10 million settlement. CRD and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) objected and intervened, saying they sought to protect workers’ and the state’s interests and ensure a fair resolution. CRD’s final-approval announcement summarizes the case history.
  3. December 27, 2021: Riot announced a global settlement agreement, noting that the payment and class distribution remained subject to court approval. Riot’s announcement includes a statement from plaintiffs’ counsel Genie Harrison: “This is a great day for the women of Riot Games – and for women at all video game and tech companies – who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination.”
  4. July 2022: The court granted preliminary approval.
  5. May 16, 2023: The court granted final approval. CRD Director Kevin Kish said the approval meant women workers who suffered serious and pervasive violations of their right to a workplace free from discrimination would be entitled to relief. That was Kish’s statement about the outcome, not a trial finding. CRD’s announcement reported final approval.

What the consent decree did—and did not—decide

The filed amended decree, in Los Angeles Superior Court case 18STCV03957, addressed claims under California’s Equal Pay Act, Fair Employment and Housing Act, and PAGA. The listed claims included gender discrimination, gender-based harassment, and retaliation, among related claims. They were resolved through a consent decree, not a trial judgment finding Riot liable. The amended consent decree sets out the claims and terms.

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The separate 2021 lawsuit involving Nicolo Laurent

A different lawsuit filed in January 2021 named Riot and former CEO Nicolo Laurent. In a May 2024 statement, Riot said an arbitrator found those claims unfounded and that the Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed the award in December 2024. This was a separate proceeding; it was not the 2018 litigation resolved by the $100 million decree. Riot’s statement is the source for that account.

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