Activision Blizzard Settles California Gender Pay Dispute for 56 Million USD
Activision Blizzard has agreed to a 56 million USD settlement with the California Civil Rights Department to resolve allegations of sex discrimination regarding unequal pay and promotion practices between 2015 and 2020. The settlement comes after the California CRD decided to withdraw claims of systemic sexual harassment, with reports indicating that no court or independent investigation substantiated such allegations against the company or its CEO, Robert Kotick.
The settlement, set to be filed in court next week, includes nearly 46.75 million USD to compensate female employees who reported inequitable pay and an additional 9.125 million USD for attorney’s fees. The company has continued to deny any wrongdoing, reiterating its stance on maintaining fair pay, as supported by its own Pay Equity Review and Transparency Report.
Activision Blizzard's Announcement:
...We are gratified that we have reached an agreement with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today, as the CRD has now announced in a press statement... We want our employees to know that, as the agreement specifies, we are committed to ensuring fair compensation and promotion policies and practices for all our employees, and we will continue our efforts regarding inclusion of qualified candidates from underrepresented communities in outreach, recruitment, and retention...
This settlement follows a similar lawsuit faced by Riot Games, which concluded earlier this year with a 100 million USD settlement. It also comes in the wake of Activision Blizzard’s acquisition by Microsoft in October, after the publisher’s stock prices were affected by the original allegations.
Activision Blizzard has confirmed the settlement in a statement, emphasizing its commitment to a respectful and inclusive workplace and highlighting its efforts to address workplace misconduct by terminating 37 employees post-allegations.
Source: VentureBeat