The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s (DFEH) sexual harassment lawsuit against Activision Blizzard has taken an unexpected turn. A Bloomberg report alleges that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has been interfering in the case.
According to Bloomberg, DFEH assistant chief counsel Melanie Proctor sent an email to staff on Tuesday stating she was resigning in protest over Gavin allegedly firing Chief Counsel Janette Wipper.
“The Office of the Governor repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation,” Proctor’s email reads via Bloomberg. “As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel.”
The lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, which has been ongoing since last summer, is currently pending in Los Angeles Superior Court. A spokesperson working on behalf of Governor Gavin’s office would not comment on either employee’s departure to Bloomberg.
NEW: In an explosive allegation, one of the lawyers behind the Activision Blizzard discrimination suit says California Governor Gavin Newsom is interfering to support Activision and that he abruptly fired her boss. She is resigning in protest.
Full scoop: https://t.co/QJdmPj9wJc
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 13, 2022
However, Governor Newsom’s communications director Erin Mellon rebuked the accusations in a statement to TheVerge.
“Claims of interference by our office are categorically false,” Mellon said via TheVerge. “The Newsom administration supports the effective work DFEH has done under Director Kevin Kish to enforce civil rights laws and protect workers and will continue to support DFEH in their efforts to fight all forms of discrimination and protect Californians.”
Recently, a judge approved an $18 million settlement between Activision Blizzard and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which closed several lawsuits against the company. However, there are still many cases Activision Blizzard is still involved with.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
