- Activision, the company behind Call of Duty, is being sued by California for sexual harassment.
- One of the two prosecutors has accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of “meddling.”
- Newsom intervened on behalf of “the interests of Activision’s attorney,” she said.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom is accused of interfering in an ongoing lawsuit brought by the state Department of Equal Employment and Housing against blockbuster video game publisher Activision.
After the two lead attorneys in the California state lawsuit, Chief Counsel Janette Wipper and Assistant Chief Counsel Melanie Proctor, resigned from the case earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that both attorneys are no longer working for DFEH.
Wipper’s rep told Bloomberg that she was fired, and an email from Proctor to her staff said Newsom was responsible for the mess.
“I hereby resign effective April 13, 2022,” Proctor’s email reads, “in protest of the interference and Janette’s termination.”
Newsom’s office “repeatedly requested advance notice of litigation strategy and next steps,” Proctor’s email said, according to Bloomberg. As the case progressed, “this interference increased,” the email said, “to emulate the interests of Activision’s attorney.”
The lawsuit – filed in Los Angeles in July 2021 – follows a two-year investigation by the DFEH. It accuses the “Call of Duty” maker of promoting a “pervasive frat boy” culture in which women are paid less than men for the same jobs, are regularly subjected to sexual harassment and specifically report problems.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that female employees face “continuous sexual harassment,” ranging from “constant resistance to unwanted sexual comments” to “being groped.” When employees report problems to human resources and management, the lawsuit says, no action is taken.
Activision has refuted many of the lawsuit’s allegations and said it is cooperating with the DFEH’s investigation.
In January 2022, Microsoft announced intentions to buy Activision for an estimated $68.7 billion in cash. The Seattle computer giant is expected to inherit the lawsuit if the deal passes regulation and is finalized later this year.
Gov. Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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