A former female employee of gaming giant Activision Blizzard filed an explosive sexual harassment lawsuit accusing the California-based “Call of Duty” creator of a “frat boy” workplace where male employees sexually harassed her, inappropriately touched her and watched pornography at work.
The unidentified former staffer, who worked in the company’s sound department for 14 years beginning in 2009, alleged that one co-worker even attempted to rape her after bringing her to his apartment.
One co-worker, she claimed, brought her to his apartment where he repeatedly touched her leg and “blocked her exit, threaten[ing] her with physical violence and attempted to rape her.” He demanded dates, spread sexual rumors and called her gender-specific slurs in front of other male co-workers, she said.
She accused around 10 men at the company of subjecting her to sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, assault and other misconduct.
Another man “repeatedly sexually harassed” her, according to the lawsuit, over five years. He allegedly told her she would “be risking her career if she reported him.”
Blizzard’s audio director also “repeatedly touched” her leg “in a sexual manner without her permission” and allegedly “sabotaged” her work in retaliation when she rejected him, the allegations said.
She complained that reports to higher-ups allegedly went nowhere and that no corrective action was ever taken.
As a result of the alleged toxic workplace culture, the plaintiff said she suffered from depression “and was required to seek ongoing psychiatric care” before being discharged in April 2024.
An Activision Blizzard spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that the company took the allegations in the Los Angeles Superior Court seriously.
“We strive to maintain a respectful and inclusive workplace, and we do that through best-in-class policies and systems designed to prevent and address harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and by holding employees accountable for their behavior,” the spokesperson said.
The woman is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, including lost wages, benefits and earning capacity.
This isn’t the first time the gaming giant has come under fire over sexual harassment allegations.
In 2023, the company and the state Civil Rights Department reached a roughly $50 million settlement to resolve a sexual harassment and discrimination case.
The department had accused Activision Blizzard of paying women less and denying them promotions, among other workplace discrimination claims. As part of the settlement, California withdrew its allegations of widespread sexual harassment, while Activision Blizzard denied wrongdoing.
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