Judge ‘Prepared To Approve’ Activision Blizzard $18 Million Settlement In One Of Its Sexual Harassment Lawsuits

Activision Blizzard – the publishing giant and studio behind popular franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Overwatch – is expected to settle a $18 Million lawsuit. 

This must first be approved by courts and in accordance with the law. The Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer is “prepared to approve” Activision Blizzard’s $18 million settlement in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It’s important to note that this lawsuit is just one of many Activision Blizzard is facing and you can read more about the others, including this one filed last week, here. 

“The Court is generally satisfied that both the monetary relief and the nonmonetary provisions are fair, reasonable, and adequate,” a California court filing published today reads, according to The Washington Post.

These filings call the opposition’s – in this case, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing which has its own lawsuit against Activision Blizzard – evidence “speculative.” As noted by Kotaku, during this settlement hearing, a DFEH lawyer argued to a judge that the EEOC’s motion to proceed with this settlement was in violation of states’ rights to its own judicial proceedings. On the other hand, the EEOC said that the DFEH had months to make this claim but waited until the “eleventh hour” to do so, going as far as to accuse the DFEH of delaying proceedings related to this lawsuit. The judge agreed and said DFEH’s argument was “untimely,” according to Kotaku, and that if a party disagreed with them, they could take it to the ninth circuit court. 

“We are pleased the Court recognizes our agreement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is fair, adequate, and in the public interest,” Activision Blizzard said in a statement to The Washington Post. “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.” 

DFEH fears that it won’t have the chance to sue further damages in state court if this settlement is accepted, as this would take place at a federal-level. 

“The DFEH will continue to vigorously prosecute its action against Activision in California state court,” DFEH spokesperson Fahizah Alim said in a statement to The Washington Post. “In recent weeks, DFEH defeated Activision’s request that the Court dismiss DFEH’s case, and DFEH has sought documents and other evidence of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation violations over many years by Activision. The Court has set a trial date in February 2023.” 

A lawyer The Washington Post spoke to said claimants for both the EEOC’s case, which is getting primed for a settlement, and the DFEH’s suit could opt-in to receive compensation from this $18 million settlement. They would then be disqualified from proceeding in the DFEH case if they did so. This is something that the DFEH doesn’t want to see happen. That’s why they and the EEOC disagree about these lawsuits. 

If this $18 million settlement is approved, it would be the EEOC’s second-largest sexual harassment settlement ever negotiated by the federal agency. According to The Washington Post’sAccording to the report, $18 million will be spent on harassment and discrimination prevention programs at Activision Blizzard. The EEOC will audit the funds. Restricted funding may be given to charities that promote gender equality and charities that are related to gaming. 

Activision Blizzard must expand its mental health counseling service and create new employee evaluation processes. Employees can leave feedback for their bosses through this settlement, which is non-monetarily. The Washington Post. Activision Blizzard will need to hire an independent expert in equal opportunity employment. They will report directly to the EEOC and will be subject to mandatory training on sexual harassment. The terms will remain in effect for three years. If Activision Blizzard violates the terms, the EEOC can seek monetary relief. 

[Source: The Washington Post]