An attorney for California’s Department of Fair Housing and Employment has resigned after accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of interfering in the state’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. This is according to a Bloomberg report.
Attorney Melanie Proctor, who worked as deputy chief counsel for DFEH, told staff Tuesday night she was stepping down after her boss, chief attorney Janette Wipper, was fired by the governor, Bloomberg reports. The two attorneys walked out of Activision Blizzard’s lawsuit earlier this month, according to court documents filed April 5. A representative for the attorneys confirmed to Bloomberg that Proctor had resigned and Wipper had been fired. With the two top attorneys involved in the Activision Blizzard case, the fate of the lawsuit is becoming unclear, Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg reports that Proctor told employees that Newsom “began to interfere in Activision Blizzard’s lawsuit” and that his interference began “to mimic the interests of Activision’s attorney.” Wipper was fired after “trying to protect the DFEH’s investigation,” Bloomberg said. A spokeswoman for Wipper told Bloomberg she was reviewing “all legal avenues, including a claim under the California Whistleblower Protection Act.”
The DFEH told Polygon it would not comment on “personnel matters,” saying the department “will continue to vigorously enforce California civil rights and fair housing laws.” Polygon has also reached out to Newsom’s press office, but received no response prior to publication.
The agency filed the lawsuit with the publisher of Overwatch and Call of Duty in July 2021 after a two-year investigation into widespread sexism and sexual harassment. The explosive lawsuit accused the company of “perpetual sexual harassment” through what it described as a “brother boy” culture at Activision Blizzard. Since then, the company has faced multiple lawsuits and work stoppages. Employees have also called for the resignation of CEO Bobby Kotick after a Wall Street Journal report revealed the extent of Kotick’s knowledge of employee misconduct.
Activision Blizzard in September settled another lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $18 million. The DFEH tried to intervene and block this agreement; a judge dismissed the attempt earlier this year.
In January, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in a landmark $68.7 billion deal that will be reviewed by regulators at the Federal Trade Commission. Chief Executive Bobby Kotick is also under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice for potential insider trading. The Wall Street Journal reported.