Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
In another State of California sued Activision Blizzard after a two-year investigation produced findings of high-ranking executives harassing and abusing employees.
California’s legal actions were only the beginning, as Activision Blizzard was sued by The Communications Workers of America and subpoenaed by the U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission in September. Outside of the courtroom, Activision employees staged a walkout to demand better treatment back in July, a move which gained wide from other gaming industry figures and consumers. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was one of the many high-ranking of the company being called on to improve working conditions and hold those accused of abuses to .
One of several pieces of new information from a Blizzard co-head Jen Oneal had sent an internal email condemning the company’s top management for their inaction regarding claims of sexual harassment and misconduct, reportedly recounting her own experience with similar treatment.
The report also outlines Kotick's direct mistreatment of women in the workplace, having threatened an assistant "to have her killed" in a voice mail in 2006. In an incident the following year, Kotick fired an employee after she reported being sexually harassed. Both matters were settled out of court, with the latter having resulted in the payment of a $200,000 settlement.
Following the Wall Street Journal report, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier relayed information about an employee walkout being staged as a result of the new information about Kotick and Activision Blizzard. According to Schreier, the goal of the walkout is to have Kotick replaced as the company's top executive.
So far, the publisher's response to its ongoing wave of workplace abuse allegations has been conflicting. The company initially tried to downplay the charges filed by the State Of California, but Kotick later acknowledged the reaction was tone-deaf and agreed to a third-party Activision Blizzard audit by controversial law firm WilmerHale. In the months since California’s filing, more charges against Activision Blizzard have been brought up and over 20 key figures have departed the company.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Ben Fritz/Twitter, Jason Schreier/Twitter
