Qualcomm agrees to pay $19.5M to settle charges of bias against women

Qualcomm has agreed to pay $19.5 million to settle a gender discrimination class action lawsuit that alleged that women at the company get lower pay and have lesser chances of promotion under its current programs.

The settlement -- on behalf of a class of about 3,290 female employees -- was reached before the lawsuit was filed, but still requires the filing of a class complaint and a move for preliminary approval of the agreement from a judge in a federal court in California, according to Sanford Heisler, the legal firm representing the women.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleges that in Qualcomm’s U.S. operations, women in science, technology, engineering and math -- known together as STEM -- and related roles face discrimination in pay and promotions.

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