California’s governor has been accused of meddling in Activision Blizzard lawsuit
Two attorneys previously leading a high-profile lawsuit against Activision Blizzard are no longer on the case following accusations of meddling by California governor Gavin Newsom.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzard in July 2021 over its failure to handle sexual harassment and discrimination against female employees.
According to a new Bloomberg report, the state agency’s chief counsel Janette Wipper was fired by the governor and her assistant Melanie Proctor has now resigned in protest.
Both lawyers had previously stepped down from the Activision lawsuit earlier this month without explanation.
Proctor told staff in an email this week that California governor Newsom and his office recently began interfering with the case.
“The Office of the Governor repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation,” she wrote. “As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel.”
She claimed Wipper had “attempted to protect” the agency’s independence but was “abruptly terminated”, leading Proctor to quit in protest.
“Justice should be administered equally, not favoring those with political influence,” she wrote in her resignation email.
Wipper’s spokesperson said she was “evaluating all avenues of legal recourse including a claim under the California Whistleblower Protection Act.”
It’s unclear what impact these events will have on the DFEH’s Activision Blizzard lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in February 2023.
In March a federal court judge approved Activision Blizzard’s $18 million settlement of a similar sexual harassment lawsuit filed last year by the US Equal Employment
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