New Activision Lawsuit Makes Revenge Porn, Sexual Harassment Allegations [Update]

Image: SOPA Images (Getty Images)

Over a yr after the primary stories and authorities investigations into the corporate started, writer Activision Blizzard is dealing with contemporary lawsuits over what’s described on this newest case as a, “pervasive ‘frat-boy’ workplace culture that is a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women.”

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Content warning: harassment.

The newest go well with, filed in Los Angeles by an unnamed former worker of the corporate, targets each Activision Blizzard itself together with the worker’s former supervisor, Miguel Vega. The criticism alleges:

Activision Blizzard’s failure to curb sexist and harassing conduct emboldened supervisor Miguel Vega to abuse, belittle and insult Ms. Doe by making feedback to her about oral intercourse, masturbation and orgasms, threatening her job if she wouldn’t consent to intercourse, mocking her breasts, and commenting on different feminine staff’ attractiveness. Mr. Vega additionally repeatedly threatened to show a compromising picture of Ms. Doe.

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Update: 10/13/22 1:15 p.m. ET: Activision Blizzard spokesperson Rich George offered the next remark:

We take all worker considerations severely. When the plaintiff reported her considerations, we instantly opened an investigation, and Mr. Vega was terminated inside 10 days. We don’t have any tolerance for this type of misconduct.

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The go well with says the unnamed former worker, referred to right here as Ms. Jane Doe, “first met Mr. Vega in 2009 or 2010 (before she started working at Activision Blizzard) when she participated in a game night with members of Activision Blizzard which included Mr. Vega.” Ms. Doe says the pair “soon formed a virtual friendship and she regrettably sent him compromising photos of herself.”

Ms. Doe says their friendship resulted in 2011 when she met her future husband, however that in 2016 Vega helped her get some “independent contractor work at Activision Blizzard,” which later was a full-time place on the firm as a group engagement coordinator for the Player Support division.

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Of her time on the firm, from 2016-2021, the go well with says:

At work, Mr. Vega repeatedly groped Ms. Doe’s breasts round a dozen occasions. On every event, he would squeeze, seize or poke her breasts and he or she instantly recoiled at these undesirable advances. He typically tried to kiss her at work. All of Mr. Vega’s sexual advances upon Ms. Doe had been unwelcomed. After every time she rejected him, he’d guarantee her that “one day it’ll happen” or “one day you’ll give in.”

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It’s additionally alleged that in conferences Vega “abused, belittled and insulted Ms. Doe, telling her that her ideas were terrible and that she was failing ‘a job a monkey could do’.” He would additionally say reportedly she was a “no one” whose “opinions don’t matter,” and that she “doesn’t know shit.”

The go well with then lists particular examples of sexual harassment allegations towards Vega, which embrace:

At an Activision Blizzard workplace celebration in 2017, Mr. Vega walked Ms. Doe to a vacant a part of the workplace away from the celebration and he requested her if she would give him oral intercourse if he had been to “whip it out right here.”

When Ms. Doe expressed to Mr. Vega on a number of events that she felt underpaid, Mr. Vega typically replied with a quid professional quo proposal: “Well you know what you need to do” whereas he pointed to his crotch.

Mr. Vega instructed Ms. Doe that he “is a very sexual person” and that he thus “needs to jack off at least twice a day.”

Mr. Vega requested Ms. Doe how typically she pleasured herself.

Mr. Vega requested Ms. Doe how typically her husband made her orgasm throughout intercourse, and if she felt like her husband meets her wants sexually (“How often does he make you cum?” and “Does he take care of you in the bedroom?”)

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Ms. Doe’s complaints additionally accuse Vega of threatening her profession if she ever reported him to HR (which she first did in 2017, saying “Activision Blizzard did nothing”), and that up till August 2021—weeks after the corporate’s tradition had turn into worldwide information—he regularly threatened to publicly launch the “compromising photos” he had of her.

The go well with says Vega was lastly reported on to Ms. Doe’s supervisor in August 2021, and that “shortly after, Mr. Vega left a voicemail for Ms. Doe in a poor attempt to mitigate the harm he caused her.” Vega was then terminated from his place on September 1, 2021.

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Ms. Doe’s criticism is asking for a full jury trial of each accused, and is finally searching for damages, authorized charges, misplaced earnings and medical prices. Both Activision Blizzard and Mr. Vega have been contacted for remark.

kotaku.com