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1,000 Activision Blizzard Employees Condemn Lawsuit Response

The lawsuit targets alleged mistreatment of female employees
by Luke Luby on July 27, 2021   

Over 1,000 Activision Blizzard employees have signed an open letter that criticizes the company over its response to a discrimination and harassment lawsuit. The suit, which was filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), focuses on the company's alleged mistreatment of female staff. It was brought against the developer following a two-year investigation.

In it, the DFEH claims that the company “discriminated against female employees in terms and conditions of employment, including compensation, assignment, promotion, termination, constructive discharge and retaliation.” It also says that “female employees were subject to sexual harassment”. In its response, Activision Blizzard aggressively defended itself and even went on the offensive, saying:

"The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past. We have been extremely cooperative with the DFEH throughout their investigation, including providing them with extensive data and ample documentation, but they refused to inform us what issues they perceived."

In a new letter, which over 1,500 of the company's employees, the signatorees have claimed that the studio's response is "abhorrent and insulting." As the letter highlights:

"We, the undersigned, agree that the statements from Activision Blizzard, Inc. and their legal counsel regarding the DFEH lawsuit, as well as the subsequent internal statement from Frances Townsend, are abhorrent and insulting to all that we believe our company should stand for. To put it clearly and unequivocally, our values as employees are not accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership."

The employees also called for significant change within the company itself, saying:

"We call for official statements that recognize the seriousness of these allegations and demonstrate compassion for victims of harassment and assault. We call on Frances Townsend to stand by her word to step down as Executive Sponsor of the ABK Employee Women’s Network as a result of the damaging nature of her statement. We call on the executive leadership team to work with us on new and meaningful efforts that ensure employees — as well as our community — have a safe place to speak out and come forward."

The letter also noted that Activision Blizzard employees "will not stand aside" until the harrassment and discrimination highlighted in the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing comes to an end.

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