U.S. Women’s Soccer Team reaches $24 million settlement in pay case

In 2016, U.S. Women’s Soccer stars Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, and Becky Sauerbrunn filed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) alleging sex discrimination over being paid less than the members of the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team. This was the beginning of a public fight between the women soccer players and the USSF that grew to involve additional players and stretched on for six more years before the parties reached a tentative $24 million settlement in February. If the settlement is finalized, it will be a historic milestone for pay equity cases nationwide.

Original suit

When the original complaints were not resolved before the EEOC, four of the women soccer players filed a class action suit in 2019 along with 24 additional players. The lawsuit alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act, claiming the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team was paid less than its male equivalent, despite substantially outperforming the men’s team on the world stage.

The women also cited inferior working conditions, such as the men’s team often being flown by charter planes while the women’s team had to take regular commercial flights and the USSF setting lower ticket prices and providing less marketing and promotional support for the women’s games.