Judge Denies DFEH’s Motion To Block EEOC And Activision Blizzard Settlement

Since the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed their lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, the company has also been under scrutiny by other federal agencies including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EEOC and Activision Blizzard, however, have agreed to settle all claims to the tune of $18 million in September. The DFEH later filed a motion to block the settlement on grounds that it will cause irreparable harm to their own case against the company.

According to Bloomberg, the judge presiding over the case has now ruled against the DFEH and denied their motion to stop the settlement. The judge also berated both agencies for publicly fighting over the matter when they should be working together.

“This is a bit unseemly […] I feel like I should send the two of you to a mediator, never mind Activision getting involved in this. You apparently have been working well together for a very long time, and you’ll have to be working well together in the future. It seems like not only the defendant but also some of these employees and former employees are going to get caught in the middle here and that’s not appropriate.”

It’s important to note that the court has yet to approve the EEOC settlement and that the ruling doesn’t mean that it will actually push through. We’ve yet to see how this plays out for Activision Blizzard and whether or not it will affect DFEH’s case against the video game giant.