Riot Games is in hot water this week. Two employees, one current and one former, have filed a class action legal suit against the League of Legends publisher. This comes amid allegations of gender discrimination and its preferential treatment of men over women. Kotaku actually did an in-depth investigation into Riot’s supposed sexist culture. The two women who filed the lawsuit claim they are owed unpaid wages, damages, etc. Riot is going to have to do some serious damage control.
Riot Games is alleged to have engaged in gender-based discrimination and violated California’s Equal Pay Act. The full lawsuit details are available online, and here’s a pertinent snippet:
… like many of Riot Games’ female employees, Plaintiffs have been denied equal pay and found their careers stifled because they are women. Moreover, Plaintiffs have also seen their working conditions negatively impacted because of the ongoing sexual harassment, misconduct, and bias which predominate the sexually-hostile working environment of Riot Games.
Looked over for a promotion
One plaintiff states that she was performing duties that a manager would perform but didn’t get paid for taking on those extra duties, nor gain the title of manager. She watched man after man take on that same position and never even had the chance to interview for it herself until they offered it to her without any pay increase. On a more serious note, there are also many allegations of sexual harassment against those involved with Riot’s Leadership team.
After Kotaku’s reports went public, they did issue a public apology and promise they would work hard on changing the culture there. However, 28 employees (both current and former) have alleged that culture at Riot is indeed sexist. Riot’s apology seems to have come too little, too late, and a class action lawsuit is something that won’t just go away with a public apology. By coming forward, the two women hope to stop the toxic environment at Riot Games forever.
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