An attorney with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing resigned Tuesday and accused Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) of interfering with a case involving sexual harassment allegations at video game giant Activision Blizzard, according to an email obtained by Bloomberg.
Melanie Proctor, the assistant chief counsel at the department, said the agency’s former chief counsel, Janette Wipper, was fired earlier this month for raising objections to the governor’s office meddling in the case, which the state is currently prosecuting.
Proctor also withdrew from the Activision Blizzard lawsuit earlier this month, according to Bloomberg.
While the department was working on the case, Proctor says Newsom’s office “repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation,” per the email obtained by Bloomberg.
“As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel,” she wrote.
When Wipper “attempted to protect” the department’s independence from Newsom’s alleged interference, she was fired, Proctor alleged.
In a statement to The Hill, Newsom’s office called the claims of interference “categorically false.”
“The Newsom administration supports the effective work DFEH has done under Director Kevin Kish to enforce civil rights laws and protect workers, and will continue to support DFEH in their efforts to fight all forms of discrimination and protect Californians,” it said.
Kish said in a statement his department has litigated “groundbreaking cases that are a model of effective government enforcement of civil rights.”
“We continue to do so with the full support of the administration. Our cases will move forward based on the facts, the law, and our commitment to our mission to protect the civil rights of all Californians,” Kish added.
Activision Blizzard, the makers of popular video game titles including “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft,” is facing a lawsuit from the state for condoning a “frat boy” workplace culture that subjected female employees to sexual harassment and lower pay than male employees.
The company settled a federal lawsuit last month for $18 million, but California is still pursuing its lawsuit with a trial date set for February 2023.
Wipper was appointed chief counsel of the department in 2018. Prior to that, she worked for the federal Department of Labor at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Updated: 6:47 p.m.