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Activision Blizzard settles one lawsuit for $18 million

One of several lawsuits against the company, Activision Blizzard will pay out to the EEOC for sexual harassment and discrimination.

TJ Denzer

March 30, 2022 7:39 AM

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Activision Blizzard has officially reached a settlement in one of its lawsuits, as approved by a US judge. Its lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which alleged sexual harassment and discrimination over its handling of pregnancy and retaliation against female employees marks one lawsuit settled among several that are still ongoing. The settlement comes at the cost of $18 million USD to Activision Blizzard.

The settlement of the EEOC’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard was accepted by District Judge Dale Fisher and formally filed on March 27, 2022. This particular lawsuit encompassed charges by former employees of sexual harassment and discrimination in Activision Blizzard’s workplace, and particularly covered the way the company covered pregnancy. There were troubling accounts that came to light in 2021 of employees being unable to nurse and breast milk brought to the office being stolen among further problematic behaviors. Activision Blizzard will be forced to pay $18 million to cover the settlement of the lawsuit.

With this particular lawsuit settled, Activision Blizzard has three more lawsuits to navigate, including a prominent one from California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). Back in October 2021, the EEOC and DFEH came to an argument over their multiple suits against Activision Blizzard. The DFEH claimed that EEOC’s lawsuit had the potential to do “irreparable harm” against the DFEH’s own ongoing lawsuit. To this, the EEOC shot back that two of the DFEH’s lawyers involved in the lawsuit represented a conflict of interest.

Nonetheless, further lawsuits continue, including the DFEH’s original lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. The company may have made its way out of one lawsuit with a hefty bill, but it still has much to work through in court in regards to the several others. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story for further updates and details.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.