Google $50 Million Race Discrimination Class Action Settlement -- Black and Black+ Employees in California and New York
By Steve Levine
Published: April 20, 2026
Settlement Fund: $50,000,000
Who Qualifies: Black and Black+ Google Employees at Job Levels 3-6
Locations: California and New York
Final Approval Hearing: May 7, 2026
Opt-Out/Objection Deadline: March 20, 2026 (CLOSED)
Claim Form: Live at CurleySettlement.com (view with your Claimant ID)
What Is the Google Class Action Settlement About?
Google LLC has agreed to a $50 million class action settlement with Black and Black+ employees who worked in California and New York at job levels 3 through 6. The Google settlement resolves the lawsuit Curley et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 4:22-cv-01735-KAW, pending before Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.The Google race discrimination lawsuit was filed on March 18, 2022 by lead plaintiff April Curley. She was joined by two additional Named Plaintiffs, Desiree Mayon and Ronika Lewis. Together these three are the Settlement Class Representatives. They alleged that Google discriminated against Black and Black+ employees in hiring, job assignment, leveling at hire, compensation, promotion, performance reviews, allocation of resources, transfers, discipline, and attrition. The Google lawsuit also alleged that Google retaliated against employees who complained about discrimination, failed to investigate complaints of race-based discrimination, and maintained a racially hostile work environment.
Google denies all allegations and maintains it has fully complied with all applicable laws. The Google settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission of liability. The court granted preliminary approval of the Google settlement on December 7, 2025.
What Does "Black" and "Black+" Mean in the Google Settlement?
Both "Black" and "Black+" are classifications from Google's own internal employee records. They are not census categories or legal terms -- they refer to how Google identified each employee in its own HR data files, which Google produced to Class Counsel on November 20, 2024.• Black: An employee whom Google's records identified solely as Black or African American.
• Black+: An employee whom Google's records identified as Black or African American AND one or more other races or ethnicities. In plain terms, Black+ covers biracial or multiracial employees whose Google HR profile identified them as Black in combination with another race or ethnic group.
Both Black and Black+ employees are part of the Google settlement class and are eligible on equal terms. If your Google HR records identified you with either designation, you are covered.
Who Qualifies for the Google Race Discrimination Settlement?
You qualify for the Google class action settlement if all of the following apply:• Google's records identified you as Black or Black+
• You held a job at Google Level 3, Level 4, Level 5, or Level 6
• Your Google job was located in California at any time from March 18, 2018 through December 31, 2023, OR
• Your Google job was located in New York at any time from October 15, 2017 through December 31, 2023
Two groups are excluded from the Google settlement even if they otherwise meet the criteria:
• Employees who worked exclusively in a Legal job family or subfamily at Google
• Employees Google's records show executed a general release of claims between the start of their state's class period and December 7, 2025
If you received a mailed notice about this Google settlement, Google's records show you are in the class.
What Are Google Levels 3, 4, 5, and 6?
Google uses an internal job leveling system from Level 1 through Level 11. For this Google settlement, levels 3 through 6 correspond to the following general roles:• Level 3 (L3): Entry-level / new college graduate engineering and professional roles
• Level 4 (L4): Mid-level individual contributor
• Level 5 (L5): Senior individual contributor
• Level 6 (L6): Staff-level individual contributor
These levels typically cover a wide range of engineering, product, program management, design, research, and related professional roles. If you are unsure what level you held, check your Google offer letter, old HR documents, or your Google Workday profile.
How Much Will I Get from the Google Settlement?
The total Google settlement fund is $50,000,000. Individual Google settlement payments are not a flat amount -- they will be calculated on an individual basis by a court-appointed Trustee and a Neutral evaluator working with the Trustee.The Google settlement Claim Form will ask for evidence in three categories:
• Alleged race discrimination or retaliation you experienced at Google
• Financial losses you attribute to discrimination (such as lower pay, lost promotions, or post-employment income loss if you left Google)
• Emotional distress you experienced (with optional supporting documentation)
The Trustee will review each Google settlement claim against all other claims and determine an Individual Settlement Payment based on the specific facts you submit. These Google settlement awards are final, binding, and non-appealable.
Your Google Claim Form will remain strictly confidential -- it will only be seen by Settlement Class Counsel, the Trustee, the Neutral evaluator, and the Claims Administrator. Google itself will NOT see your Claim Form or its contents.
The $50 million Google settlement fund also pays for Settlement Class Counsel attorneys' fees (up to 25 percent of the fund), litigation costs, payroll taxes, administration costs, and Service Awards of up to $50,000 each to the three Settlement Class Representatives (April Curley, Desiree Mayon, and Ronika Lewis) if the court approves them.
How Do I File a Google Settlement Claim?
If you received a mailed Notice with a Claimant ID, the settlement administrator (Atticus Administration) has already posted a Claim Form Login at CurleySettlement.com. You can enter your Claimant ID and last name today to view a copy of the Claim Form and begin gathering your evidence -- but actual claim submission does not open until the court grants final approval at the May 7, 2026 Final Approval Hearing.View Your Claim Form at CurleySettlement.com
If the court grants final approval on May 7, 2026, here is what happens next:
• You will receive a separate Final Approval Notice in the mail confirming the claim window is open
• You will log back in at CurleySettlement.com using your Claimant ID to submit the completed Claim Form
• You will complete the Claim Form with evidence of alleged discrimination, financial losses, and emotional distress
• You will also submit IRS Forms W-4 and W-9
• The Trustee will review your Google settlement claim and determine your Individual Settlement Payment
Settlement Class Counsel from Stowell & Friedman Ltd. will be available to help you through the Google claims process at no cost. You can also hire your own attorney at your own expense if you prefer.
Will My Google Settlement Payment Be Taxed?
Yes. A portion of your Google settlement payment may be taxed as wages (with payroll tax withholding) and a portion may be taxed as non-wage income. The Trustee will allocate your Individual Settlement Payment between wage and non-wage categories. The Claims Administrator will withhold payroll taxes based on the IRS Form W-4 you submit with your Claim Form and will issue the appropriate IRS tax forms after the end of the calendar year in which you are paid.Settlement Class Counsel are not tax advisors. Consult your own tax professional for specific tax questions about your Google settlement payment.
What Non-Monetary Changes Did Google Agree To?
Beyond the $50 million cash fund, Google agreed to several workplace practice changes as part of the settlement:• Google will continue analyzing employee pay to identify differences by race not explained by legitimate criteria, before finalizing annual pay changes
• Google will maintain reporting channels for employees to raise concerns about unfair pay or performance reviews, investigate those concerns, and take remedial action where appropriate
• Google will maintain leveling policies designed to ensure leveling-at-hire decisions are based on legitimate, business-related criteria
• Google will provide salary range information to applicants and employees, and will continue not to ask applicants for salary history
• Google will not require any employee to enter mandatory arbitration agreements for employment-related disputes, and will not enforce existing mandatory arbitration agreements for such disputes, through and including August 2026
What Claims Does the Google Settlement Release?
If the Google settlement is approved and you do not opt out (the opt-out deadline of March 20, 2026 has passed), you release Google from all claims of race-based employment discrimination. This includes claims for hiring, job assignment, pay, leveling, promotion, performance reviews, transfers, termination, constructive discharge, failure to investigate, retaliation, and hostile work environment under multiple laws, including:• 42 U.S.C. Section 1981 (federal civil rights law)
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
• California Equal Pay Act
• New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL)
• New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL)
You are covered by the release even if you do not ultimately submit a Google Claim Form for payment. If you want to preserve your own right to sue Google separately, the opt-out deadline was March 20, 2026.
Key Dates for the Google Class Action Settlement
• December 7, 2025: Preliminary approval of the Google settlement granted• February 10, 2026: Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Costs filed by Settlement Class Counsel
• March 20, 2026: Opt-out and objection deadline (CLOSED)
• May 6, 2026: Deadline to rescind a prior opt-out if you changed your mind
• May 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM: Final Approval Hearing (Courtroom of Judge Kandis A. Westmore, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland CA 94612)
• After Final Approval: Separate Final Approval Notice mailed with Claim Form and Claimant ID
How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?
Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:Settlement Website: CurleySettlement.com
Official Settlement Notice (PDF)
Sources
• Official Settlement Website -- CurleySettlement.com• Court-authorized Notice of Class Action, Proposed Settlement Agreement, and Final Approval Hearing, Curley et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 4:22-cv-01735-KAW (N.D. Cal.)
• Preliminary Approval Order dated December 7, 2025 (Hon. Kandis A. Westmore)
Case Information
Case: Curley et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 4:22-cv-01735-KAW
Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Judge: Hon. Kandis A. Westmore (Magistrate Judge)
Defendant: Google LLC
Class Representatives: April Curley, Desiree Mayon, Ronika Lewis
Settlement Fund: $50,000,000
Who Qualifies: Employees whom Google identified as Black or Black+ at job levels 3, 4, 5, or 6
California Class Period: March 18, 2018 -- December 31, 2023
New York Class Period: October 15, 2017 -- December 31, 2023
Exclusions: Legal job family/subfamily employees; employees who signed general releases during the class period
Payout Method: Individual Settlement Payment calculated by court-appointed Trustee based on submitted Claim Form
Preliminary Approval: December 7, 2025
Opt-Out Deadline: March 20, 2026 (CLOSED)
Objection Deadline: March 20, 2026 (CLOSED)
Rescission of Opt-Out Deadline: May 6, 2026
Final Approval Hearing: May 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM (Oakland, CA)
Claim Form: Viewable now at CurleySettlement.com with Claimant ID; submission opens after Final Approval
Attorneys' Fees: Up to 25 percent of Settlement Fund
Service Awards: Up to $50,000 per Class Representative (3 total)
Settlement Class Counsel: Linda D. Friedman, Stowell & Friedman Ltd. (Chicago, IL)
Claims Administrator: Atticus Administration
Settlement Website: CurleySettlement.com
Filing Class Action Settlement Claims
Please note that your claim form will be rejected if you submit a settlement claim with any fraudulent information. By providing this information and your sworn statement of its veracity, you agree to do so under the penalty of perjury. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm.
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Pre-Qualify| Google Settlement Summary | |
| Status | Preliminary Approved — Awaiting Final Approval |
|---|---|
| Fund | $50,000,000 |
| Who | Black/Black+ Google Employees (L3-L6) |
| Locations | California + New York |
| CA Class Period | Mar 18, 2018 – Dec 31, 2023 |
| NY Class Period | Oct 15, 2017 – Dec 31, 2023 |
| Claim Form | View Now (submit after Final Approval) |
| Final Hearing | May 7, 2026 |
| Website | CurleySettlement |