Activision Blizzard Settles Harassment Lawsuit

Activision Blizzard has been battling against multiple lawsuits since summer of 2021, and the company finally may be seeing the end of one of them. A report by the Washington Post revealed that U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer is “prepared to approve” an $18 million settlement between Activision Blizzard and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the court filing, the court feels that both the monetary and non-monetary provisions proposed by Activision Blizzard are “fair, reasonable and adequate,” and that the opposition’s evidence is “speculative at best.”

In a statement to the Washington Post, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said:

“We are pleased that the Court recognizes our agreement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is fair, adequate and in the public interest. Our goal has always been to provide immediate and meaningful compensation to eligible employees who choose to participate and to continue workplace improvements that make Activision Blizzard a model for our industry.”

As part of the agreement, Activision has agreed to create an $18 million fund to compensate eligible claimants, continue enhancing policies, practices, and training to prevent harassment and discrimination in the workplace, engage a neutral, third-party equal employment opportunity consultant – a non-employee who must be approved by the EEOC – who will provide ongoing oversight of the Company’s compliance with the agreement, and hire an internal EEO coordinator with relevant experience in gender discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation to assist the Company.

This lawsuit is separate from the one filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The DFEH and the EEOC recently became embroiled in an argument over how much the victims should be paid, and the DFEH is concerned that if the EEOC settles with Activision Blizzard at a federal level, then it may not be able to continue to pursue state charges. The DFEH has so far defeated Activision’s attempt to get its case dismissed, and still plans to move forward with prosecution. That case has a trial set for February 2023.

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