The U.S. Soccer Federation and women’s national team have reached a $24 million settlement to end the high-profile equal pay and pay discrimination litigation just weeks before the Ninth Circuit was set to hear the case.

Under the settlement, the Federation will pay $22 million to the players in the case, distributed in a manner proposed by the U.S. Women’s National Team players with approval of the U.S. district court.  An additional $2 million will be paid into an account “to benefit USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls’ soccer,” the sides said.

The players had been seeking $66.7 million in back pay from the Federation in the long-running dispute that dates back to 2016, when the players filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They filed suit in March 2019 just ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which the U.S. women’s national team would go on to win.  This is another historic win for the U.S. women’s national team.

If you are a female employee and think you may not be receiving equal pay, please feel free to reach out to Lebe Law for a free consultation.