Lawyer Involved In Activision Lawsuit Quits After Boss Fired By California Governor

As problems continue to plague Activision Blizzard, a report shared by Bloomberg revealed claims that California's Governor Gavin Newsom interfered with the lawsuit brought by the state’s DFEH by firing chief counsel Janette Wipper. According to the report, Wipper’s subordinate, Assistant Chief Counsel Melanie Proctor informed staff that she was resigning in response to the governor’s actions.

Both lawyers quit working on the lawsuit earlier in the month, a fact confirmed by court documents filed on April 5. Later, a representative for Proctor and Wipper confirmed that the former resigned while the latter was fired.

Bloomberg’s report goes on to state that Proctor informed staff of Newsom’s interference with the lawsuit, noting that it had begun "mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel" and that Wipper was fired as she was trying to "protect" the investigation.

As one would expect, when Polygon inquired with the DFEH about what happened, they refused to comment, only adding that they’d "continue to vigorously enforce California’s civil rights and fair housing laws". However, the DFEH’s Communications Director, Erin Mellon did make a statement that the claims are "categorically false".

Note: Activision Blizzard is still under investigation by the state of California for serious harassment charges. CEO Bobby Kotick is alleged to have known about such actions within his company – and performed some himself – and shielded the perpetrators from consequences.