The California DFEH Lawsuit saga continues. California has expanded the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard to include temporary employees, and accusses Activision Blizzard of obstruction. As justly feared by ABetterABK employees, the WilmerHale law firm is impeding California DFEH from interviewing Blizzard employees under the excuse investigations of discrimination or harassment is privileged… as if WilmerHale is acting as their lawyers. Sleazy move.
Firstly, the DFEH is accusing Activision Blizzard of using law firm WilmerHale to stonewall the department and prevent it from talking to employees.
The firm has apparently been hosting listening sessions with employees to hear their complaints, but the DFEH claims that this practice “directly interferes” with the DFEH’s ability to “investigate, prosecute, and remedy workplace discrimination and harassment violations on behalf of employees and contingent or temporary workers.”
How does WilmerHale’s presence interfere with the DFEH’s process? The DFEH claims that employees who speak with WilmerHale’s representatives are treated as having spoken confidentially to an attorney.
Activision Blizzard then allegedly turned around and told the DFEH that, because the WilmerHale investigators are attorneys, work “related to receipt or investigations of discrimination or harassment complaints is privileged.”
AXIOS
ABetterABK wrote a letter to Bobby Kotick on August 3, and the company has not acknowledged reading the letter nor the 4 demands. ABetterABK also responded to Bobby Kotick’s mention of WilmerHale law firm in the following article.
ABetterABK was right to not trust in Bobby Kotick and WilmerHale. They are running stonewalling tactics. It seems investors, ABetterABK, ABetterUbisoft, and fans across all gaming studios must unite to start shaking ABK’s foundations. Maybe a few of those seismic shockwaves might help. It is time for SOC Investment Group and other investors to safeguard their stocks by doing what ABK cares not to do.
Investors should call for Bobby Kotick to resign as he obviously lied during the investors call about helping workers. Stonewalling to prevent employees or workers from talking with the California DFEH is not in the workers’ best interest. Kotick called workers: assets. This is not how you treat assets.
Bobby Kotick: I want to start by making clear to everyone that there is no place at our company where discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind will be tolerated. Nowhere.
We so appreciate the current and former employees who have come forward in past and recent days with courage; and I want to reiterate the commitments we have made to you.
Our work environment, everywhere we operate, will not permit discrimination, harassment or unequal treatment. We will be the company that sets the example for this in our industry. While we’ve taken many steps towards this objective already, today, we are taking even more.
Engadget got a follow up from Activision Blizzard concerning the California DFEH accussation on shredding documents. Whether their statement is true or false, it shall be revealed in time as the lawsuit proceeds in courts. But to me personally, I don’t trust the Activision Blizzard leadership for they have not listened to the demands of ABetterABK, especially their rejection of WilmerHale law firm.
For as long as Activision Blizzard keeps WilmerHale and ignores the 4 demands, Activision Blizzard is not working in the best interest of their workers and investors, but their self-interests.
TheVerge embeded the DFEH amended complaint.
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