The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked video game developer Activision Blizzard, its CEO Bobby Kotick and other executives for information related to allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination by the company's employees, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, citing sources. A spokesman for Activision confirmed to the publication that the SEC has opened an investigation “regarding employment issues and related cases.”
The SEC, during its investigation, requested minutes of board meetings starting in 2019, as well as personal files and agreements to fire employees who left the company this year, according to the WSJ. The regulator also requested correspondence between Mr. Kotik and other executives regarding complaints from Activision employees and freelancers.
In July, following media reports of complaints from Activision Blizzard employees about harmful corporate culture, the state of California filed a lawsuit against the company and accused it of violating equality of wages and opportunities for men and women. Separate lawsuits were filed by the company's investors. In September, employees of the company filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Administration: according to the employee association A Better ABK, the complaint concerns the practice of forced resolution of conflicts through arbitration.
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