According to the “Washington Post” report, an Activision Blizzard employee committed suicide in 2017. The parents of the late employee are now the company for its part in her death. Paul and Janet Moynihan, parents of Activision Blizzard finance manager Kerri Moynihan, 32, claim sexual harassment was a “significant factor” in her death. In April 2017, Moynihan was found dead in a hotel room at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. At the time of the investigation, the conclusion is that Moynihan died by suicide.
Moynihan was named anonymously in a lawsuit filed last July by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The lawsuit sues Activision Blizzard for allegedly fueling a toxic culture of “persistent sexual harassment,” the report said. At the time, Activision Blizzard claims DFEH’s allegations were “incorrect and many are false”.
In addition, it alleges that Moynihan’s boss, Greg Restituito, hid his relationship with Moynihan from investigators. Restituito served as Activision Blizzard’s senior financial director until May 2017, a month after Moynihan’s suicide. Moynihan’s parents claim that Activision Blizzard refuses to allow police access to Moynihan and Restituito’s work phones and laptops during the investigation into Moynihan’s death.
As of now, the company is yet to respond to the lawsuit.
Gizchina News of the week
Activision Blizzard CEO to leave Coca-Cola board to focus on Microsoft acquisition
Bobby Kotick, chief executive of Activision Blizzard, will leave Coca-Cola’s board of directors, the Coca-Cola Company said on Friday.
Kotick’s resignation from Coca-Cola’s board comes as Microsoft struggles to complete its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, if all goes as planned, it will be the largest tech industry deal in U.S. history. Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in January this year. The expectation is that Microsoft will close the acquisition in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
“At a critical juncture in preparation for Blizzard’s merger with Microsoft, I have decided not to serve on the board of directors of The Coca-Cola Company for re-election in order to focus my full attention on Blizzard,” Kotick said in a statement. Kotick served on The Coca-Cola Company’s board of directors for 10 years.
Kotick, 58, is now at the cusp of public controversy in recent months. There are also reports of accusations against Kotick’s handling of harassment within the company. Coca-Cola has a financial relationship with Activision, but the Coca-Cola board has determined the relationship is immaterial. Coca-Cola’s sponsorship deals for some of the events represent less than 1 percent of Activision’s total revenue, according to an SEC filing. The documents show that in 2020, Kotick received $340,003 in compensation from Coca-Cola.
