Activision Blizzard And EEOC Settlement Blocked, EEOC Accuses DFEH Of Ethical Violations

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In a surprising twist on the ongoing web of Activision Blizzard legal problems, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the SEC’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are now at odds with each other over alleged ethical violations and conflict of interest with regard to the DFEH legal team.

The DFEH filed a motion last week to block a settlement between Activision Blizzard and the EEOC on grounds that the settlement will cause “irreparable harm” to the DFEH’s case against the video game industry giant. According to the EEOC, the motion was drawn up by a legal team that included former EEOC employees, some of whom were also involved in their investigation of Activision Blizzard. The EEOC claimed that these lawyers had inside information and purposely failed to sign their names on the final filing to hide their participation in the motion.

“These same attorneys then proceeded to represent DFEH in connection with these intervention proceedings, which seek to oppose the consent decree that arose out of the very investigation they helped to direct while at the EEOC,” wrote the EEOC in their memorandum to the Central District Court of California.

Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard is still in the crosshairs of multiple federal agencies over its alleged frat-boy culture, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination.