Settlement Terms and Oversight
The deal goes beyond cash payments. Disney must retain an outside labor economist for the next three years to conduct privileged pay equity analyses. If statistically significant gender-based pay disparities are found, the company must take corrective action.
While approving the payout, Judge Berle hit pause on a separate request for more than $14 million in attorney fees and $1.7 million in costs. The judge said he wanted further briefing on expenses tied to expert consulting, legal research, and travel. He did not dispute the attorney fee percentage itself, which equals one-third of the settlement.
Of the settlement fund, $250,000 will resolve claims under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), with 75% directed to the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the remainder distributed among workers.
How the Numbers Break Down
The agreement is projected to deliver an average award of $1,726 per class member, though actual payouts may vary. The class size, originally estimated at 14,000, grew after a deeper dive into employment records, boosting the total eligible workers to more than 15,000.
