A federal judge has preliminarily approved the $24 million equal pay settlement between the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. women's national soccer team.
The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner gave his decision on Thursday.
“Most significantly, the unopposed settlement agreement accomplishes the plaintiffs’ goal for litigation: equal pay,” Klausner wrote per the Associated Press. “The court is satisified that the settlement is a fair and reasonable resolution.”
Two years ago, Klausner dismissed the women's team's claims they received lower pay than the U.S. men's team, NPR reported.
A hearing for final approval is scheduled for Dec. 5, ESPN reported.
"We are pleased that the Court granted preliminary approval for the Historic Equal Pay Resolution today," The players' spokesperson, Molly Levinson said in a tweet. "We look forward to celebrating this hard fought victory for women and girls at the final hearing in December."
According to the news outlets, both sides agreed to the terms of the settlement in February, with the sport's governing body agreeing to pay $22 million to settle the dispute.
