Attorney Lisa Bloom and Kristen, a current Blizzard employee, held a press conference outside Blizzard’s offices in Irvine, California today to share her story about the city’s “inherent culture of sexual harassment.” alcohol” for society.
Kristen confronted the crowd outside Blizzard’s offices to describe her experience at the company where she has worked for the past four years. Kristen spoke of her excitement when she was hired and how it turned into horror when she experienced repeated sexual attempts and comments. She also said that a superior asked her for sexual favors.
After the complaint, Kristen describes the reprisals the company has been subjected to, including demotion and profit-sharing denial. Kristen also explains how she avoided social events at the company so as not to risk being inappropriately touched.
In a statement issued by Lisa Bloom, the attorney made public demands for Activision Blizzard, including a new “simplified” procedure for victims as well as the creation of a $100 million victim compensation fund managed by attorneys for victims.
In a statement to IGN, Activision Blizzard said it appreciates the courage of current and former employees to raise issues of misconduct and affirms its involvement in “creating an environment in which we can all be proud.” “
Lisa Bloom is known to work on well-known cases of sexual harassment or assault, having represented women in cases including Bill O’Reilly or Bill Cosby, but she also advised Harvey Weinstein during the sexual assault case.
This press conference is the latest in a series of articles dating back to July when the California government sued Activision Blizzard over “little boy” culture, sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
In November, Jane O’Neill, who was appointed as Blizzard’s co-CEO alongside Mike Ybarra, announced that she was stepping down and it was later revealed that Jane O’Neill was paid less than her male co-worker for the same role.
As Activision Blizzard continues to reaffirm its commitment to bettering itself, reports have revealed that CEO Bobby Kotick was privy to the allegations and chose not to disclose them to the board. The three largest game manufacturers, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo, have expressed concern about the company to their employees.
Erwan Lafleurelle is the editor-in-chief of IGN France. A video game slave for 40 years, he only occasionally runs away grieving his defeats Twitter.
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