Google has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Black employees in 2022 over alleged racial discrimination.

The settlement, agreed in 2025, covers more than 4,000 Google employees in California and New York. It was granted final court approval this week.

In 2022, the California Civil Rights Department started investigating Google's treatment of Black female employees.

The plaintiff, April Curley, accused the company of racial discrimination, arguing that Google denied her promotions, portrayed her as an “angry” Black woman, and eventually fired her while she was compiling evidence of racial bias within the company.

Other Google employees joined the suit, claiming that Google maintained a "racially biased corporate culture", with Black people consistently being paid less, assigned to low-level jobs, and denied promotion opportunities.

The suit added that Black candidates were viewed “through harmful racial stereotypes” and deemed not "Googly" enough by hiring managers.

The complaint said that Black employees made up only 4.4% of Google’s workforce and 3% of its leadership in 2021.

“This case is about accountability, plain and simple,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, in a statement, according to Associated Press.

“For far too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity. This settlement is a significant step toward holding one of the world’s most powerful companies accountable and making clear that discriminatory practices cannot and will not be tolerated.”

The settlement does not constitute admission of liability by Google, which said it fully complied with all applicable laws at the time.

Under the settlement terms, Google also committed to pay equity analyses, pay transparency measures, and limits on mandatory arbitration for employment-related disputes through at least August 2026, Crump added.

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