- Business
Activision Blizzard hit with new lawsuit from current female employee alleging sexual harassment and discrimination
The allegations are similar to those found in a previous lawsuit against the company.
Activision Blizzard is facing another lawsuit, this time from a current employee who alleges that she experienced numerous instances of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation dating back to when she began working for the company in 2017, according to a Bloomberg Law report.
The employee, referred to as “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit, is being represented by attorney Lisa Bloom, who also represents clients in another sexual harassment lawsuit against Activision Blizzard that was filed by the State of California’s labor department in July 2021.
The new case, Doe v. Activision Blizzard Inc., details alleged actions and behaviors that are strikingly similar to the ones outlined in the State of California’s lawsuit. Doe alleges she was pressured to drink alcohol and share personal secrets, subjected to sexual comments from superiors, and rejected from open positions after she spoke up about the sexual harassment and discrimination she received.
The suit seeks additional court orders that would require Activision Blizzard to “implement a rotating human resources department to avoid conflicts of interest with management, retain a neutral investigation firm, and fire CEO Bobby Kotick.” Kotick has remained the CEO in the wake of numerous lawsuits facing the company and after The Wall Street Journal reported Kotick had kept certain allegations a secret from the board of directors.
Since the California lawsuit in July, Activision Blizzard has promised to foster a better working environment, but it also has reportedly attempted to dismiss reports from WSJ and Bloomberg while trying to dissuade employees from unionizing.