California Governor's Office Accused Of Interfering With Activision Blizzard Lawsuit
One of the top lawyers handling the state of California's discrimination lawsuit against Activison Blizzard has resigned in protest, following the firing of her boss by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
As reported by Bloomberg, Melanie Proctor, who served as assistant chief counsel for California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), is stepping down from her position to protest the March 29 firing of Chief Counsel Janette Wipper, who she was working alongside on the Activision Blizzard lawsuit that has accused the company behind major franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft of fostering a «frat boy culture» of sexual harassment and discrimination.
Proctor in an email to staff said that Newsom's office began to interfere with the lawsuit, and that «as we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision's counsel.» According to Proctor, Wipper protested this interference and attempted to protect the agency's independence before being «abruptly terminated.»
Alexis Ronickher, a spokesperson for Wipper, told Bloomberg that Wipper is «evaluating all avenues of legal recourse including a claim under the California Whistleblower Protection Act.» According to a statement from Ronickher (via Kotaku), Wipper was reappointed to her position by Newsom just four months before her termination, a move celebrated by current DFEH director Kevin Kish.
«Both Ms. Wipper and Ms. Proctor encourage DFEH to continue its independent and fair enforcement of California's civil rights laws,» the statement reads. «For there to be justice, those with political influence must be forced to play by the same set of laws and rules.»
Erin Mellon, communications director for
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