Walt Disney Co. has agreed to pay $43.3 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that a female employee in California earned $150 million less than her male co-worker over an eight-year period, the plaintiff's attorney said. confirmed on Monday.
A motion has been filed to approve the settlement, which covers a wide range of Disney employees in California. variety report.
If the petition is approved, thousands of women who have worked at Disney since April 1, 2015 will receive checks to cover the pay gap. The outlet stated:
The lawsuit, filed in 2019, alleges that Disney's policies led to discrimination against women, including determining new employees' salaries based on their salaries at previous employers. A study commissioned by the plaintiffs found that women in one category earned 2% less than men, and another category earned 0.58% less.
Disney continues to dispute the legitimacy of the investigation, but agreed to use it as the basis for allocating the settlement money. Under the agreement, plaintiffs' lawyers can seek judicial approval of up to one-third of the settlement, or about $14.4 million, in addition to $1.8 million in legal fees.
“We strongly commend Mr. Rasmussen and the women who brought this discrimination lawsuit against Disney, one of the world's largest entertainment companies,” said Lori Andrus, founding partner and plaintiff's attorney at Andrus Anderson. ” said plaintiff's attorney Lori Andrus, founding partner of Andrus Anderson. variety.
“They risked their careers to widen the pay gap at Disney.”
In a statement, the entertainment company defended its pay practices and said it was glad the lawsuit was over.
A spokesperson said: “We are always committed to paying our employees fairly and have demonstrated that commitment in this case. We are pleased that this matter has been resolved.”
