California Slaps Activision Blizzard With Sexual Harassment And Discrimination Lawsuit
Amidst controversies about layoffs and overpaid executives, Activision Blizzard is once again under fire for unequal pay, sexual harassment, discrimination, sexism, and the company’s bro culture. Following a two-year investigation, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court seeking damages and the recovery of unpaid wages for affected female employees.
According to the complaint, female employees, which make up roughly 20% of Activision Blizzard’s workforce, are regularly subjected to a pervasive frat boy culture, rape jokes, sexual banter, “cube crawls”, and other inappropriate workplace behavior. They have also allegedly been held back from promotions because they might get pregnant, criticized for leaving early to pick up their children, and kicked out of breastfeeding rooms so that male employees can use it for meetings.
The lawsuit also cites a female employee who committed suicide while on a company trip with a male supervisor, reported Bloomberg Law. The said employee had allegedly been the target of “intense sexual harassment” prior to her death, including having her nude photos passed around during a company party.
Here’s Activision Blizzard’s official statement on the matter:
“We value diversity and strive to foster a workplace that offers inclusivity for everyone. There is no place in our company or industry, or any industry, for sexual misconduct or harassment of any kind,” said an Activision Blizzard spokesperson. “We take every allegation seriously and investigate all claims. In cases related to misconduct, action was taken to address the issue.”
“The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past. We have been extremely cooperative with the DFEH throughout their investigation, including providing them with extensive data and ample documentation, but they refused to inform us what issues they perceived. The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today,” the spokesperson said.
