Activision Blizzard is reckoning with a fresh sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit following months of similar allegations made against the company.
A report by Bloomberg notes that on Wednesday, attorney Lisa Bloom filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard on behalf of an employee going by “Jane Doe.”
“For years, Activision Blizzard’s open ‘frat boy’ environment fostered rampant sexism, harassment, and discrimination with 700 reported incidents occurring under CEO Robert Kotick’s watch,” the lawsuit reads.
The suit also states that when Doe joined the company in 2017, she was allegedly pressured into taking tequila shots while partaking in “cube crawls,” where female employees were subjected to groping and sexual advances from male co-workers. The claim also alleges that management told her not to air her grievances publicly as they could “damage” the company’s reputation. According to the suit, Doe could only transfer out of her department after writing a complaint to Blizzard’s then-president Allen J. Brack.
We just filed a new sexual harassment and retaliation against Activision Blizzard. Despite EEOC, FEHA and SEC investigations and an internal "mea culpa," the victims continue to be ignored.
We demand justice and the ouster of CEO Bobby Kotick.https://t.co/A2DpfiFE1b
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) March 24, 2022
Bloom held a press conference outside Blizzard’s Irvine headquarters back in December for another Blizzard employee, describing the work environment as an “alcohol-soaked culture of sexual harassment.”
Microsoft recently acquired Activision Blizzard, and reports claim that current CEO Bobby Kotick will step down once the acquisition is complete.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
