By Lexx Thornton
April Curley arrived at Google in 2014 with a clear mission: recruit talented Black students from college campuses across the country. But within months of starting her new role, she said that the tech giant began steering her toward lower-level positions and paying her less than her white peers. By 2020, she was out of a job.Â
Now, Curley and thousands of other Black Google employees are a step closer to compensation they say the company owes them for what they describe as years of systemic racial discrimination. On Sunday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore in the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval of a $50 million class action settlement in the case.Â
If finally approved, the settlement would provide compensation to more than 4,000 current and former Black Google employees who worked in California and New York between 2017 and 2023.Â
Curley filed the lawsuit in March 2022 with attorneys from Stowell & Friedman, Ltd., Ben Crump Law and Sani Law. She was joined by two colleagues, Desiree Mayon and Ronika Lewis, who said they experienced similar treatment, were passed over for promotions, subjected to hostile work environments and denied the same opportunities as their white counterparts while performing the same work.Â
According to the plaintiffs, the discrimination wasn’t limited to a few managers or one department. They claim it reflected companywide policies and practices affecting how Black employees were hired, leveled into job categories, compensated, evaluated and promoted.Â
Both sides carried out extensive discovery, sharing workforce data, company policies and employee records. Each side also hired experts to study information about job titles, pay, bonuses, performance reviews and demographics.Â
After months of litigation and mediation led by mediator Hunter Hughes, the parties reached an agreement in March 2025.Â
“The proposed settlement provides for a certain and immediate all-cash settlement fund of $50,000,000, and it ensures that settlement class members will be equitably compensated for the claims they are releasing,” Westmore wrote.Â
Unlike many class action settlements that use formulas to distribute funds, this agreement employs an individualized claims process. Class members will submit forms describing their experiences and claimed harms, including lost wages and emotional distress. Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Professor Lynn Cohn will oversee the evaluation of each claim.Â
“The plan of allocation treats all class members equitably based on the merits of the individual claims they are releasing as determined by the individual claims resolution process,” Westmore said.Â
The settlement also requires Google to make several changes over the next three years. The company must review pay practices before finalizing annual salaries to identify and address any unexplained racial disparities. It must keep open reporting channels for employee concerns about pay, job leveling, and performance reviews, and investigate those concerns.Â
Google must also continue including salary ranges in job postings, give employees access to pay ranges for their positions, and avoid using salary history when setting compensation. Mandatory arbitration for employment disputes will be paused until August 2026.Â
Class members have until March 20, 2026, to opt out or file objections. A final approval hearing is scheduled for May 7, 2026.Â
Representatives for Google and Curley did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Â
