Disney is paying $43.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit that it paid women less than men, according to papers that filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday night.
The suit was originally filed in 2019 by Disney staffers LaRonda Rasmussen and Karen Moore, who said they were owed back pay and lost benefits from the media giant, and expanded to include 9,000 female staffers, according to Andrus Anderson. At issue: Women said they had been paid less than their male counterparts doing substantially similar work.
The compensation comes after Disney settled with plaintiffs represented by Andrus partner Lori Andrus in October. The trial was set to begin in May 2025.
“I strongly commend Ms. Rasmussen and the women who brought this discrimination suit against Disney, one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. They risked their careers to raise pay disparity at Disney. I’m also encouraged that Disney has committed to run annual pay equity reviews to further promote pay equity. I believe this will help strengthen the company and its brand as a key employer and contributor to California’s economy,” Andrus said in a statement.
Disney attempted to halt the class action, arguing, essentially, that each individual woman needed to bring her own lawsuit. The judge was not persuaded, and he ruled from the bench on December 8, 2023, that the case could proceed as a class.
“We have always been committed to paying our employees fairly and have demonstrated that commitment throughout this case, and we are pleased to have resolved this matter,” a Disney rep said in a statement Monday.
Last December, a judge denied Disney’s motion that each individual plaintiff needed to bring her own lawsuit
Andrus Anderson partner Lori Andrus said at the time, “Disney’s argument is that this woman was paid less for this reason. That woman was paid less for that reason. And, her, over there, well she was paid less for yet another reason. They can’t possibly think that they are going to convince a jury that every woman at Disney deserved lower pay.”
The settlement is expected to be officially approved on Jan. 10 by Judge Elihu M. Berle
The class action does not include other Disney properties, including Hulu, ESPN, and Pixar.
Deadline first reported this story.
