Google—Google settled age discrimination class action for $11 million
In August 2019, Google settled a class-action lawsuit for $11 million involving 227 plaintiffs who alleged systematic age discrimination in hiring. Plaintiffs claimed Google's median workforce age of 29 (vs. 41-42 nationally) reflected discriminatory practices, that younger workers were hired at substantially higher rates than similarly qualified workers over 40, and that older applicants were told they were not a good 'cultural fit' or not 'Googley' enough—alleged euphemisms for age. Google also agreed to train employees on age-based bias, create a recruiting subcommittee focused on age diversity, and ensure marketing materials reflect age diversity. The settlement followed class certification in October 2016.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Inclusion | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Governance | +toward | contextual | +0.20 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.102 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.68)× agency (compelled ×0.25)
Evidence (2 signals)
Court approved $11 million Google age discrimination class action settlement
On August 15, 2019, Judge Beth Labson Freeman approved an $11 million settlement of the Fillekes class action age discrimination lawsuit against Google involving 227 plaintiffs. The settlement provided approximately $48,458 per plaintiff, with $10,000 incentive award for lead plaintiff Cheryl Fillekes. Google agreed to train employees on age-based bias, create a recruiting subcommittee focused on age diversity in engineering positions, ensure marketing collateral reflects age diversity, adequately investigate age bias complaints, and conduct surveys of departing employees about potential discrimination.
Google settles age discrimination lawsuit for $11M over biased hiring practices
Google settled lawsuit with workers who claimed the company discriminated against older individuals in hiring. Plaintiffs stated they were encouraged by recruiters to apply multiple times but not hired due to age. Google's workforce has median age of 29, compared to 41 in similar industries.