Judge Rules On $18 Million Settlement Between Activision Blizzard And EEOC

Activision Blizzard has settled its lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which will see the developer pay $18 million to victims sexual harassment at the company. The two companies initially settled on that amount in September, but California's Department of Fair and Equal Housing, which brought the initial suit against Activision Blizzard in July, protested the settlement in October, claiming that it would "negatively impact" its own case.

Nevertheless, Federal judge Dale S. Fischer ruled today that the settlement could proceed as announced, as reported by Kotaku. Judge Fischer previously said that the spat between the EEOC and DFEH was "a bit unseemly."

According to the Washington Post, a spokesperson for the DFEH said that the agency would "continue to vigorously prosecute its action against Activision in California state court," with a trial date set for February 2023.

An analyst quoted by the post called the deal a "victory" for Activision Blizzard., which reported revenue of $2.163 billion in Q4 2021 -- 120 times the amount of the settlement amount of $18 million. CEO Bobby Kotick's compensation for 2020 was $150 million. Any money left unclaimed in the settlement can be used by the publisher to fund its own women's charity funds, though the DFEH is reportedly worried that some of that money could wind up returning to the company to use as it wishes.