Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Activision Blizzard has seemingly been trying to keep its head down and keep moving forward as the company prepares for acquisition by Microsoft in the coming year. However, just because ActiBlizz is trying to be quiet doesn’t mean its problems are going away. On the contrary, they are mounting even further. A new lawsuit has been filed against the publisher alleging an account of rampant sexism and sexual harassment similar to previous claims throughout the last year.
The recent lawsuit was filed earlier this week on behalf of an employee currently being referred to as “Jane Doe” by attorney Lisa Bloom, as reported by Bloomberg Law. The lawsuit alleges Activision Blizzard is an “alcohol-soaked culture of sexual harassment,” in which female employees were repeatedly subjected to sexual comments and groping by male colleagues under the workplace’s “frat boy environment.” The suit claims that Doe, on her first day of work as a senior administrative assistant in the IT department, had an “initiation lunch” in which she was pressured to take tequila shots and share an “embarrassing secret” with colleagues.
Jane Doe further alleges in the suit that she attempted to apply for jobs in other departments to get away from the rampant sexual harassment, but these applications were rejected. It was only after she filed a written complaint to former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack that she was able to move departments to a lower position with a significantly lowered salary.
This most recent lawsuit mirrors a number of claims and accounts already alleged in multiple other lawsuits against Activision Blizzard. From an initial lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed back in July 2021 to a more recent suit against the publisher for wrongful death following in the case of an employee suicide, Activision Blizzard has continued to face growing litigation under the arguably incompetent watch and leadership of CEO Bobby Kotick. With this latest lawsuit set to add to the publisher’s continuing troubles, stay tuned as we continue to follow further stories in relation to Activision Bllizzard.