Report: DFEH, SEC expand their investigations into Activision Blizzard
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Securities and Exchange Commission are both expanding their investigations into Activision Blizzard, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Those expanded investigations come as the company navigates proposed acquisition by Microsoft. The scope of the respective investigations raise different concerns about what regulators might uncover about Activision Blizzard's alleged culture of sexual harassment, toxicity, and abuse.
The two agencies have filed multiple subpoenas that orbit around the conduct of Activison Blizzard executives and employees. The SEC's investigation is looking into how much CEO Bobby Kotick told the company board about sexual harassment reports at the company.
The DFEH investigation (which made the alleged company culture public last summer) is now subpoenaing Kotick, other employees, and several Los Angeles-area police departments. These subpoenas are apparently being fought in court by Activision Blizzard's lawyers.
The report does not indicate what manner of records the DFEH is seeking from law enforcement agencies. When asked for comment, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson provided the following statement on the DFEH subpoenas:
"The DFEH is requesting sensitive, confidential information with no limits or relevant scope from Southern California police departments. This serves no legitimate purpose. It represents yet another questionable tactic in DFEH’s broader effort to derail AB’s settlement with the EEOC. Rather than protecting California workers, the DFEH is impeding the meaningful progress at Activision Blizzard and delaying compensation to affected employees."
Activision Blizzard's statement appears to partially
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