NEW YORK, NY – Mastercard, Inc. has agreed to pay $26 million to settle a proposed class action accusing the company of underpaying female, Black and Hispanic employees.
The proposed settlement also stipulates that Mastercard will continue to conduct annual pay equity audits with an external consulting firm for three years and will hire an industrial organizational psychologist to evaluate its career ecosystem for bias.
Mastercard disputed the allegations and did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
The proposed nationwide class includes approximately 7,500 female, Black and/or Hispanic employees who worked at Mastercard in job levels 4-10 as far back as September 2016, depending on the state where they worked.
The company agreed to the settlement before the lawsuit was filed in federal court on January 14, 2025. The settlement is subject to court approval.
“We are very pleased to have reached this nationwide settlement with Mastercard, which we believe represents a fair compromise,” said Cara E. Greene, Partner at Outten & Golden LLP and lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “Importantly, the non-monetary terms of the settlement will help ensure that Mastercard maintains an equitable workplace for the thousands of women and people of color it employs. Settlements like this help to level the playing field and move the entire industry closer to pay equity.”
The case is Deborah Hayman, et al. v. Mastercard, Inc., 7:25-cv-00340 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The plaintiffs are represented by Cara E. Greene, Adam T. Klein, Nantiya Ruan, Chauniqua D. Young, Shira Z. Gelfand, and Jennifer Davidson of Outten & Golden LLP.
Read Plaintiffs’ brief in support of preliminary settlement approval
About Outten & Golden LLP
Outten & Golden LLP is one of the largest U.S. law firms dedicated to the representation of employees. With offices in New York City, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, the firm has taken on many of the country’s largest and most powerful employers, forging landmark settlements and historic verdicts that contribute to a more equitable workplace. As a mission-driven firm, O&G uses litigation and other means to expand the rights of all employees to fair wages and working conditions, and a workplace free of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.