GamingNews

Activision Blizzard settles sexual harassment lawsuit for $18M

GamesBeat Summit 2022 returns with its largest event for leaders in gaming on April 26-28th. Reserve your spot here!


A federal judge today approved a settlement in Activision Blizzard‘s sexual harassment lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The game publisher will pay out $18 million to a relief fund for those affected by harassment or discrimination.

In order for employees to receive relief from the settlement, they must file a claim about discrimination or harassment they’ve faced while working with the company. According to a press release from Activision last year, “Any amounts not used for claimants will be divided between charities that advance women in the video game industry or promote awareness around harassment and gender equality issues as well as company diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as approved by the EEOC.”

This is not the only lawsuit or censure the company is facing — there’s still the complaint from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. However, as Washington Post writer Shannon Liao noted, this could prevent the DFEH from seeking further damages against Activision Blizzard. $18 million is also a relatively small amount for Activision Blizzard, as the company earned $2.16 billion in Q4 2021.

In addition to the monetary compensation, Activision Blizzard must mandate sexual harassment training and offer more mental health counseling. It must also appoint a third-party equal opportunity expert that will report on its “training programs, investigation policies, disciplinary framework and compliance” to the EEOC.

GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn More


Author: Rachel Kaser
Source: Venturebeat

Related posts
AI & RoboticsNews

What enterprise leaders can learn from LinkedIn’s success with AI agents

AI & RoboticsNews

Walmart cracks enterprise AI at scale: Thousands of use cases, one framework

AI & RoboticsNews

Nvidia’s ‘AI Factory’ narrative faces reality check as inference wars expose 70% margins

CryptoNews

Binance Founder Declares 0.1 Bitcoin the Future American Dream – Featured Bitcoin News

Sign up for our Newsletter and
stay informed!