Activision Blizzard has been Faced with a Different Harassment Lawsuit. Once again, Activision blizzard has been faced with another sexual harassment lawsuit. Just as stated in Reports that came from Bloomberg, the latest lawsuit the company faced was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior court on the 24 of march by attorney Lisa Bloom on behalf of a current employee referred to as Jane Doe.
Activision Blizzard has been Faced with a Different Harassment Lawsuit
As stated by the Lawsuit, Doe has been working at Activision as a senior Administrative assistant to executives that are in the IT department since 2017. Doe Alleges that she did not only experience sexual harassment and discrimination while working for the game publisher but that she was also retaliated against for complaining about her plight – some elements of what bloom alleged is an “alcohol-soaked culture of sexual harassment” during her conference that took place outside Blizzard’s Irvine, California office in December 2021.
The legal move is accommodated by the California Department of Fair Employment and housing’s (DFEH) allegations that Activision Blizzard has a “Frat boy culture” That’s a breeding ground for “rampant sexism.” This new lawsuit is also filled with information concerning the numerous occasions in which Doe was allegedly sexually harassed, pressured to take part in events that involved alcohol even though she refused, and more.
Details of Activision Blizzard’s Latest Harassment Lawsuit
The Lawsuit talks about an alleged culture that occurred behind closed doors that left Doe feeling uncomfortable, one that involved everything that has to do with pressure to drinking alcohol to the sharing of an “embarrassing” secret and more than one game that was described as, at times, being sexual in nature, as stated by Bloomberg. Doe claimed that she has had tons of requests to get transferred in an effort to escape the allegedly toxic culture in addition to dressing in a more conservative manner in other to avoid being harassed sexually.
All these efforts were to no avail, and Doe said that she took things all the way to the former Blizzard President J. Allen Brack. Upon learning about her experiences, the lawsuit claims that Doe was reportedly finally granted a new role in a different department, but that did not fail to be faced with its own consequences. The Lawsuit claims that her salary was reduced, as well as her status.
Right before it occurred, Doe claimed that Activision Blizzard Superiors told her to keep her concerns to herself, and out of interest in protecting the company. Her complaint led to a more hostile work environment, compounding issues that reportedly pushed her toward accepting the new role even though she knew her pay would be reduced.
Sexual Harassment Scandal Continues
This development is the latest in the Activision Blizzard Sexual harassment scandal that started when the DFEG filed its lawsuit in July of 2021, shocking the gaming industry. Plenty of outlets ceased coverage of future Activision Blizzard games upon hearing of allegations that an employee committed suicide right after being harassed sexually during one of the company’s trips. Employees left their jobs to demand Kotick resign from his position following a report that came from the Wall Street Journal that alleged he was aware of the sexual harassment complaints for years and just ignored them.
This matter came out two weeks after eight women filled a lawsuit against PlayStation alleging workplace misconduct and systemic gender discrimination while they worked at their various offices across the country. Their claims came out right after PlayStation moved to dismiss the gender discrimination case that was filed by Former IT security analyst Emma Majo.
In the meantime, Activision Blizzard has called its shareholder to vote on Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of the company. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to approve the acquisition by June 30, 2023.
