In an unexpected case of turnabout following lawsuits alleging pay discrimination and sexual misconduct at the publishing giant, Activision Blizzard has filed suit against California’s Civil Rights Department. The Call of Duty and World of Warcraft publisher claims that the state agency withheld information about communications with media outlets and labor unions while investigating allegations of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzard became the subject of legal scrutiny in 2021 when the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, now known as the California Civil Rights Department, filed suit against the company for alleged workplace discrimination. According to the lawsuit, women and ethnic minorities at the publisher were subjected to ongoing harassment and frequent workplace retaliation, with both groups rarely being considered for promotion within the company. The announcement of Activision’s lawsuit against the California Civil Rights Department comes just as new statements reveal that the FTC is suing to block Microsoft’s acquisition of the troubled publisher.
According to public records documents obtained by news outlet Axios, Activision has filed suit against the California Civil Rights Department alleging that the department withheld important information about its communications with outside parties while investigating claims of misconduct at the publisher. The lawsuit, which was filed to the California Superior Court in Sacramento this week, seeks to obtain records of the department’s communications with multiple media outlets as well as any talks with the Communication Workers of America. The Communications Workers of America has provided representation for some employers of the publisher as they’ve led a push for Activision Blizzard employees to unionize.
In order to obtain the records in question, Activision Blizzard’s lawsuit seeks to force the Civil Rights Department to turn over the documents under California’s Public Records Act. The lawsuit further alleges that the state agency intentionally created a hostile media environment towards the massive publisher, leaving Activision Blizzard unable to get a fair hearing. Responding to the lawsuit, the Civil Rights Department claims that it was within its legal rights to redact some information about communications undertaken as part of the investigation. The state agency also implied that this lawsuit is an attempt by Activision Blizzard to delay releasing documents previously requested by the Civil Rights Department, citing the publisher’s claims as “meritless objections.”
This new lawsuit is just the latest in a series of ongoing legal moves by the beleaguered publisher as they attempt to respond to some of the truly shocking allegations made by former employees. Whether the documents Activision is seeking will help the company defend itself remains to be seen, but the reputational harm from the company's alleged actions will be hard to undo. And with an appeals court recently rejecting Activision Blizzard's attempt to get a gender discrimination lawsuit dismissed, it seems like many of its legal woes are here to stay.
Source: Axios