On Wednesday, a Riverside County, California woman filed suit against Activision Blizzard Inc., its corporate relative, and several employees over the alleged sexual harassment the plaintiff experienced during her more than four-year tenure with the video game company.
The 28-page state court complaint opens with an explanation of how California and federal regulators have scrutinized Activision about widespread sexual harassment at the company. In particular, it references a September 2018 Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) investigation that culminated in an $18 million settlement to compensate victims of sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination. This week’s lawsuit claims however, that victims have not received justice as “the fund has yet to hear a single claim and not a dime has been distributed.”
According to the complaint, the events of the case filed in Los Angeles, California also took place there. Allegedly, the plaintiff was hired as a Senior Administrative Assistant in 2018 to support male executives. From day one, the lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff experienced unwanted touching from male colleagues, comments regarding her physical appearance, and sexual overtures. Frequently, she was asked to drink alcohol as part of the company’s “alcohol-sotted” culture, which purportedly fostered acts of sexual harassment in and out of the office.
The complaint alleges that when the plaintiff became vocal about her discomfort, the company retaliated against her “by demoting her, by declining her applications for positions in other departments later offered to less-deserving employees, and by sending around a false email that she had been terminated.” Eventually, she was pushed out of the company in February 2022, the suit says.
It states seven claims for relief under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Five contemplate hostile work environment, discrimination, harassment, sexual favoritism, and retaliation while the other two state common law sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress causes of action.
The plaintiff is represented by The Bloom Firm.
