The parents of an Activision Blizzard employee who committed suicide following the company’s 2017 retreat campaign are suing the company, claiming that sexual harassment led to the wrongful death of their daughter, The Washington Post reported.
Activision Blizzard financial manager Kerri Moynihan’s parents Paul and Janet Moynihan, 32, said sexual harassment was a “significant factor” in her death. In April 2017, Moynihan was found dead in a hotel room at Disney’s Grand California Hotel and Spa, and investigators ruled her death a suicide.
As noted by The Washington Post, Moynihan was named anonymously in a lawsuit filed last July by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) suing Activision Blizzard for allegedly fostering a toxic form of “persistent sexual harassment.” culture.
The DFEH complaint alleges that her male co-worker shared pictures of her vagina at a holiday party before her death. In filing the lawsuit, Activision Blizzard said DFEH’s allegations were “distorted and in many cases false.”
A copy of the new lawsuit, seen by The Washington Post, says Activision Blizzard “contributes to and allows a work environment in which sexual harassment is pervasive” and that it failed to “prevent such harassment.”
It also accused Moynihan’s supervisor, Greg Restituito, of concealing his sexual relationship with Moynihan from investigators. Restituito served as Activision Blizzard’s senior financial director until May 2017, a month after Moynihan committed suicide.
According to the lawsuit, Activision Blizzard allegedly denied police access to cellphones and laptops distributed by Moynihan and Restituito’s companies during the investigation into Moynihan’s death.
Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in controversy since last year’s lawsuit. Months after employees went on strike to protest workplace discrimination, the Wall Street Journal released a blockbuster report saying that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had been aware of sexual harassment at the company — in Kotick remained CEO after employees and shareholders called for his resignation.
In January, Microsoft announced its imminent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and Kotick will remain CEO of the company until the deal closes sometime in 2023. The Verge reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment but did not get an immediate response.