New legal counsel seeking 'institutional reform' in Riot Games' discrimination lawsuit

The long-running gender discrimination lawsuit against Riot Games looks set to continue after the plaintiffs involved hired a new legal counsel and withdrew their motion for a $10 million settlement. 

The news comes around a month after California state agencies claimed that settlement would let the League of Legends developer off lightly, giving the studio no incentive to change its ways while also massively under-compensate the plaintiffs. 

Now, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz, a new legal team that includes women's rights attorney Genie Harrison will look to move the case forward and ensure those involved are fairly compensated. 

"These brave women spoke out against gender inequality and sexism, and I want to make sure they are fairly compensated," said Harrison, who is known for bringing cases against the Weinstein Company and Kevin Spacey.  

"Our well-qualified statisticians are already analyzing pay data. We intend to recover the compensation due to the women of Riot Games and achieve institutional reform, in order to level the playing field for women."

Addressing the latest development, a spokesperson for Riot Games said the studio believed its proposed $10 million settlement was "fair and adequate under the circumstances," and dismissed rumors that the plaintiffs could be due a $400 million payout as "clickbait." 

"We understand that the plaintiffs' new counsel needs adequate time to review the proposed settlement agreement and we respect that," they commented. 

"While we have acknowledged that there is work that we needed to do to better live up to our values, we have also made clear to our employees that we will defend ourselves against false narratives and unfair claims that do nothing to remedy any hardships of actual class members."