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The Final Whistle: USWNT’s Equal Pay Lawsuit Ends With $24 Million Settlement


Earlier this morning, it was announced that the USWNT’s equal pay lawsuit that had been filed against the U.S. Soccer Federation has reached a final resolution with a reported $24 million settlement.

Readers might recall that the equal pay lawsuit filed by these soccer players garnered widespread media attention when it was filed back in 2019.  The lawsuit sought back pay totaling around $66 million.  (The lawsuit also included a claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  That Title VII claim, which complained of disparate treatment in regard to things such as travel and lodging (in comparison to the USMNT) was previously settled.)

Getting to this stage has been a long haul, including a prior dismissal of the equal pay lawsuit during the summary judgment phase.  U.S. District Court Judge Gary Klausner dismissed the equal pay lawsuit on the grounds that during the period in question, the USWNT actually made more money per game compared to the USMNT.  The USWNT’s request to reinstate the equal pay portion of the lawsuit was set to be heard early next month, but with this settlement, that argument will not take place.

In regard to the specifics here, $22 million of the settlement will go toward the players that joined the lawsuit.  The other $2 million of the settlement will go toward helping players in their post playing careers as well as go toward charitable endeavors meant to help grow the sport among women.  The settlement also includes the U.S. Soccer Federation agreeing to an equal rate of pay for the USMNT and USWNT in all friendlies and tournaments (including the World Cup).

At this point, a few things need to happen before this settlement is finalized.  First, the USWNT will need to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.  In addition, the Court in which this case is pending will have to approve the settlement.  (For those unfamiliar with cases in federal court, while the parties may agree to a resolution outside of Court, the Judge must still approve the settlement for it to take effect.)

For the time being, however, I would say the final whistle has blown on this case and it should be finalized in the coming months with this $24 million settlement.


For additional information:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/22/uswnt-equal-pay-settlement/

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