Activision Blizzard is as soon as once more being sued for sexual harassment • TechCrunch

For over a yr, Activision Blizzard staff have protested towards the corporate’s poor dealing with of ongoing sexual harassment allegations. Now, an nameless Jane Doe has filed one more lawsuit towards the gaming large for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and sexual battery, amongst different complaints.

“For years, Activision Blizzard’s open ‘frat boy’ setting fostered rampant sexism, harassment and discrimination with 700 reported incidents occurring underneath CEO Robert Kotick’s watch,” the lawsuit explains. “The sexual misconduct was usually dedicated by executives and within the presence of HR.” A report from the Wall Avenue Journal final yr discovered that the CEO knew for years about rampant sexual harassment on the firm, however didn’t act.

On this case, the plaintiff alleges {that a} former product supervisor Miguel Vega sexually harassed her within the office for years; she says that he non-consensually groped and tried to kiss her at work, verbally abused her, and insinuated that if she gave in to his sexual advances, she would get a elevate.

Doe first met Vega at a recreation night time in 2009 or 2010. “They quickly fashioned a digital friendship and she or he regrettably despatched him compromising images of herself,” the lawsuit says. By 2011, Doe met her future husband and her relationship with Vega ceased, however she reconnected with him upon looking for work at Activision Blizzard in 2016.

The plaintiff informed a supervisor about Vega’s habits in 2017, however he didn’t face penalties. Later, he started threatening to leak the intimate images that she despatched him over a decade earlier. By August 2021 — a month after California regulators sued the corporate for gender-based harassment and discrimination — the plaintiff introduced her issues to HR as soon as once more.

“On August 23, 2021, regardless of Mr. Vega’s menace of revenge pornography, Ms. Doe mustered the braveness to report Mr. Vega’s sexual harassment to supervisor Christopher Bruens. Mr. Bruens relayed her report back to HR. Very shortly after, Mr. Vega left a voicemail for Ms. Doe in a poor try to mitigate the hurt he precipitated her. On September 1, 2021, Activision Blizzard terminated Mr. Vega,” the lawsuit says.

Now, Doe is making an attempt to carry Activision Blizzard accountable for cultivating a hostile work setting and failing to guard her from sexual harassment. She is requesting a jury trial, looking for compensation for damages, medical bills, authorized charges and misplaced earnings.

Lisa Bloom, the lawyer defending the plaintiff, tweeted that her agency represents eight girls who declare that they skilled sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard.

Activision Blizzard has not responded to TechCrunch’s request for remark. In a press release to Kotaku, spokesperson Wealthy George stated, “We take all worker issues severely. When the plaintiff reported her issues, we instantly opened an investigation, and Mr. Vega was terminated inside 10 days. Now we have no tolerance for this type of misconduct.”

Microsoft plans to buy the gaming large for $68.7 billion, pending regulatory approval. If the deal goes by way of, Kotick is anticipated to step down as CEO.