California attorney accuses Newsom of meddling in Activision Blizzard suit

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.

The Hill has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

In a statement to The Verge, Newsom’s office called the claims of interference “categorically false.”

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. LINK