California governor Gavin Newsom allegedly interfered with Activision Blizzard investigation

Activision Blizzard has investigations and lawsuits on all sides. One sexual harassment case was settled, but there are still ongoing cases. Namely, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is looking into the company’s toxic workplace accusations at a state level, while the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) concluded its own investigation at a national level. To add another layer to the issue, California governor Gavin Newsom has been accused of interfering with his state’s investigation.

The news comes from Bloomberg, which reports the resignation of Melanie Proctor, assistant chief counsel for the DFEH. Proctor’s resignation comes after Newsom’s abrupt firing of chief counsel Janette Wipper. “The Office of the Governor repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation,” Proctor wrote in the resignation letter. “As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel.” Proctor’s resignation and Wipper’s firing both come after the lawyers had already stepped down from the case.

This isn’t the first time the DFEH has run into trouble while trying to do its job. It objected to Activision Blizzard’s settlement with the EEOC last fall, saying it would hamper its own investigation and potential consequences for the game studio. That was one of many frustrating chapters in the ongoing story, which also includes anti-union rhetoric and union-busting employee embedding by Activision Blizzard, whose embattled CEO Bobby Kotick remains in charge amidst the ongoing investigations.