Activision Blizzard slapped with another sexual harassment lawsuit

When it rains, it pours: Activision Blizzard just can not seem to shake the scandals. Nevertheless reeling from a bevy of sexual harassment/discrimination lawsuits previous calendar year, the firm is searching down the barrel of another a single a lot less than a few months into the new year. This one lists additional than 30 defendants.

The Bloom Agency submitted a grievance with the Remarkable Court docket in Los Angeles on behalf of an nameless client towards Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Leisure, a few previous and two recent Blizzard workers, and 25 other unnamed people today. Expenses consist of two counts of sexual harassment, failure to reduce harassment, sexual favoritism, retaliation, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

A number of allegations are pointed at Mark Skorupa, a previous Blizzard employee now functioning at parent enterprise Microsoft. Jane Doe was hired as an govt assistant to Skorupa and another Blizzard worker working in the IT office. Doe alleges that Skorupa created sexual advancements and inappropriate feedback towards her, put his hand in her lap at lunch on her initial working day, and gave her unwelcomed hugs that lingered also prolonged.

Doe more statements that the HR division disregarded repeated grievances expressing that they were just illustrations of administration hoping to be “good.”

“[Human Relations] dismissed Ms. Doe’s sexual misconduct complaints, expressing that it was just her management getting good and making an attempt to be close friends with her,” reads the filing. “HR questioned Ms. Doe to keep all of her troubles, worries, recordings, or emails to herself mainly because they could be quite harming to Activision Blizzard.”

Doe also promises she was a victim of retaliation for using her problems to HR. She states that Skorupa subsequently manufactured hurtful comments toward her, the company demoted her, and she was denied programs to positions in unique departments regardless of being a lot more skilled than other candidates.

The lawsuit asks the courtroom to award Doe all authorized service fees and an unspecified amount in damages. Activision and Microsoft have declined to remark on the lawsuit.

Picture credit: Enlarge by Casimiro PT, Courtroom by Brandon Hurry