California Department of Civil Rights settlement Activision released a joint statement with Blizzard late last week, two years after state regulators filed a lawsuit alleging sex discrimination, pay inequality and a culture of sexual harassment at the video game company.
Activision Blizzard, publisher of hit games such as the “Call of Duty” series and “World of Warcraft,” has agreed to pay $54 million and take steps to ensure fair pay and fair promotion. I promised. Approximately $46 million of the funding will be used to compensate employees, particularly women who were employees or contractors of the company from 2015 to 2020. Details of the settlement have been finalized but still require court approval.
“If approved by the court, this settlement agreement would be a significant step forward and provide direct relief to Activision Blizzard employees,” said California Department of Civil Rights Director Kevin Kish. The agency was previously known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, but changed its name last year. Activision Blizzard operates from its headquarters in Santa Monica, California.
The agency filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2021, alleging the company violated rules set forth in the state’s Equal Pay Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act. The California Department of Civil Rights announced it was dropping the allegations as part of the settlement. agreement “Allegations of systematic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard have not been substantiated by a court or independent investigation.”
The settlement also says an investigation by the California Department of Civil Rights found no evidence of wrongdoing by the company’s board, executives or CEO Bobby Kotick.
Activision Blizzard was cited in February for failing to “put in place the necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints of workplace misconduct,” ultimately preventing that information from being disclosed to investors. agreed to a $35 million settlement with the SEC.
The California lawsuit includes employee strikes, inflammatory statements from executives, stock price volatility, and ongoing concerns that the company fosters a toxic workplace culture to the detriment of employees. It ushered in a dramatic era for Activision Blizzard.
A series of events ultimately led to Microsoft’s move to acquire the company. Regulators finalized the $68.7 billion deal in October. Activision Blizzard’s longtime CEO Bobby Kotick has become deeply embroiled in years of controversy and plans to leave the company at the end of the year.
Source: techcrunch.com
