California Governor Accused of Interfering in Activision Blizzard Lawsuit - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 14 April 2022 / 2,857 Views
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in July 2021 filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over what is described as a "frat boy" culture at the video game giant. Female employees are subjected to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation, according to the lawsuit.
A new report from Bloomberg claims that the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom has been interfering with the lawsuit between the DFEH and Activision Blizzard.
Head counsel of the lawsuit Janette Wipper was allegedly fired by Newsom for trying to maintain the department's autonomy. DFEH assistant chief counsel Melanie Proctor later resigned in protest.
"The Office of the Governor repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation," reads an email Proctor sent to staff. "As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel."
Erin Mellon, the communications director for Governor Newsom, in a statement to The Verge says, "Claims of interference by our office are categorically false. The Newsom administration supports the effective work DFEH has done under Director Kevin Kish to enforce civil rights laws and protect workers, and will continue to support DFEH in their efforts to fight all forms of discrimination and protect Californians."
Mellon was asked if Newsom fired Wipper, however, she said she can't comment on personal matters.
A federal court judge last month approved of Activision Blizzard to pay $18 million in settlement for its sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed last year by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Hey at least he's giving himself the "L" in the header photo.
The plot continues to thicken....
Looks like a mobster
Something, something plot
Something, something, deep rabbit hole
Something, something, bad comment about Governor being chosen.
Was there another lawsuit to settle for 18 million dollars? I thought this one happened last summer?
I keep repeating, I think MS is just buying a big problem. There is so much dirt in there and the media (and the whole ps fanbase) will put the blame on MS of everything the very same minute the deal is closed, heck they have started to put the blame on them already. I think with those $70b MS could have bought T2, Square Enix and Warner Brothers.
How do the people in these states keep re-electing these garbage/corrupt politicians that do nothing but destroy their state? Californians deserve to live in that shithole dystopian state. Thank god for politicians like De Santis.
The alternative was a man who thinks slave owners should have received reparations.
shit, you nailed it!!!!!!
