US judge approves Activision Blizzard’s $18mn settlement in sexual harassment suit

A US judge has approved Activision Blizzard’s $18 million misconduct settlement with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), officially resolving one of the several lawsuits lodged against the gaming company.

The company still faces multiple suits from shareholders, former employees and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).

Tuesday’s hearing pertained to the sexual harassment complaint filed by the EEOC following a years-long investigation during which it found that employees of Activision Blizzard were subjected to severe sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination.

It was also claimed that the company threatened retaliation against employees who complained.

During a virtual hearing on Tuesday, California District Court judge Dale Fischer amended the agreement between Activision Blizzard and the EEOC.

“Our goal is to make Activision Blizzard a model for the industry, and we will continue to focus on eliminating harassment and discrimination from our workplace," said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in astatement.

"The court's approval of this settlement is an important step in ensuring that our employees have mechanisms for recourse if they experienced any form of harassment or retaliation."

Activision Blizzard was first sued by the DFEH in July last yearaccusingthe video game publisher of having a "frat boy workplace culture", The Washington Post reported.

In September, Activision Blizzardagreed to create an $18 million fund for harassment and discrimination victims, following another lawsuit from the EEOC.

The EEOC, a federal agency, and the DFEH, a state agency, share jurisdiction over workplace sexual harassment cases and both agencies reportedly received anonymous tips in 2018 to investigate Activision Blizzard.

(With inputs from agencies)