California Governor Accused Of Interfering In Activision Blizzard's Discrimination Lawsuit
Califonia governor Gavin Newsom has been accused of interfering in Activision Blizzard's sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit by Melanie Proctor, one of the state's top lawyers for the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. According to emails seen by Bloomberg, Proctor is using her resignation as a protest againt the firing of her boss Chief Counsel Janette Wipper.
Proctor claims in these emails that Newsom and his office "began to interfere" with the lawsuit and started "mimicking the interests of Activision's counsel," demanding "advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in litigation." Proctor also claims that Wipper was "abruptly terminated" for pushing back against the interference, thus leading to her resignation.
Related: Report: How Women Navigate Crunch, Abuse, And Lack Of Opportunities In The Gaming Industry
According to Bloomberg, both Proctor and Wipper had both stepped down from the Activision Blizzard lawsuit earlier this month, although they did so without explanation. Wipper is also now "evalutating all avenues of recourse" over her termination, including "a claim under the California Whistleblower Protection Act," according to her spokesperson Alexis Ronickher.
It's unclear what this means for Activision Blizzard's discrimination lawsuit at the moment, but Proctor's claims suggest that Gavin Newsom is attempting to at least mitigate any potential legal action taken against the publisher, although it's worth pointing out that these emails aren't public and we only have Proctor and Wipper's public statements to go on.
Activision Blizzard recently settled another of its many lawsuits at the end of March, finalising the lawsuit brought against it by the US Equal Employment
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