RPJ Partner Nicole Page Featured in Law360 Article Discussing $15M Snapchat Settlement

Last month, California’s Civil Rights Department concluded a three-year-long investigation with Snap Inc. with a $15M settlement, $14.5M of which will be going directly to the victims. Snap Inc., who is owner and developer of the American multimedia instant messaging app Snapchat, had been undergoing investigation since 2021 when the company was accused of discriminating against its female employees.

Snapchat’s workforce is majority male (63%) and primarily comprised of tech and engineering positions (70%). Only one in five tech employees are women. At the same time, however, 60% of all non-tech jobs are held by women in the company. Men in the company furthermore make up nearly three fourths of managerial and executive positions. According to the lawsuit, this workforce composition was both the result and drive of what victims reported to be a company that failed in preventing workplace sexual harassment, retaliated against women who spoke up for themselves, and regularly promoted male colleagues who were less qualified than their female counterparts.

RPJ Partner Nicole Page says, however, that California’s allegations against Snap were not surprising. “This is an industry that we’ve heard so much about over the years — tech, engineering — lacking women in leadership roles, lacking women at all. And this is just another example,” said Ms. Page, who represents both individuals and companies in workplace discrimination and harassment claims.

Snapchat continues to deny guilt, claiming the settlement was to avoid lengthy and expensive litigation. The company did, however, pledge to retain an independent consultant regarding company promotions, compensations, and training materials as well as a third-party monitor to audit Snap Inc.’s sexual harassment, retaliation, and discrimination compliance in the settlement.

Read more about what RPJ’s Nicole Page has to say about it here, or on the Law360 website here.