Winston & Strawn Secures $24 Million Settlement and an Agreement to Provide Equal Pay in All Future Games for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

Serving as class counsel, a Winston & Strawn team led by Jeffrey L. Kessler and Cardelle B. Spangler secured a landmark equal pay settlement on behalf of current and former United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) players, who have accused the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) of wage discrimination based on gender.

As noted in a joint statement issued by the USWNT and USSF, the USSF will pay an equal rate of pay going forward in all games, including the World Cup, as well as $22 million to compensate the players for past discrimination and an additional $2 million into an account “to benefit USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls’ soccer.” The settlement is contingent on a new collective bargaining agreement being ratified by the players on the USWNT, which is in the process of being negotiated.

The women’s fight for equal pay has become an icon in the battle against gender discrimination and is a complete victory for the players.

Winston & Strawn has been representing the players since 2016, when it handled the filing of the EEOC charge of discrimination that initiated the legal proceedings and filed the class action in federal court in Los Angeles in March 2019.

The Winston team also included David G. Feher, Jeanifer E. Parsigian, Diana Hughes Leiden, and Scott A. Sherman.

The settlement was covered by the following media outlets:

• US Soccer To Pay $24M To End Women's Team Equal Pay Suit, Law360
• U.S. Women’s Soccer Class Action Reaches $24M Settlement Over Equal Pay, Top Class Actions
• U.S. Soccer and Women’s Players Agree to Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit, The New York Times
• Opinion: The U.S. women’s soccer team’s settlement is a huge victory on pay equality, The Washington Post
• USWNT, U.S. Soccer Federation settle equal pay lawsuit for $24 million, ESPN
• USWNT reaches $24 million settlement with U.S. Soccer over equal pay lawsuit, Yahoo! Sports
• USWNT players and U.S. Soccer settle equal pay dispute, Reuters
• Win, lose or draw? Inside the U.S. women’s soccer settlement, Reuters Legal

The Winston team was recognized in the February 25 Litigator of the Week column for the settlement.