Activision Blizzard has filed a motion to temporarily halt proceedings in the lawsuit filed against it in July by the state of California.
The publisher claims it wants a break to collect evidence in connection to an unexpected allegation against the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) – something that could prove advantageous for Activision Blizzard.
While the allegation which was made last week does not have a direct tie to this particular lawsuit, it is to do with the lawyers who filed the suit.
According to the filing, the publisher is suggesting that there are conflicts of interest within the DFEH. That’s because two DFEH attorneys who “play leadership roles within the [DFEH]” previously worked for the EEOC and “helped to direct the EEOC’s investigation… against Activision Blizzard.” The EEOC being the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a US federal agency that recently proposed a settlement with the games giant over similar claims.
Because of that, the company has used the information to delay the state case against it in a bid to potentially disqualify many of the DFEH attorneys involved.
Alongside that, PC Gamer is reporting that the company wants the case to be designated as “complex” meaning it is moved to a court that’s set up to handle, well, more complex cases. It’s also alleged that the Californian DFEH has made other errors including destroying information, but the DFEH has also accused Activision Blizzard of doing the same thing.
An Activision Blizzard spokesperson explained to PC Gamer that “we look forward to resolving the case with the DFEH fairly in an appropriate court.”
Expect this case to run for a while.
Related to that, the publisher recently fired 20 employees in response to the harassment claims it has faced.
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