Judge approves Activision Blizzard’s $18 million harassment settlement

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The judge approved the settlement between theEEOC and the company. The two organizations had announced a settlement in September, but California state regulators tried to stop it.

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a harassment lawsuit against the company in July, accusing it of fostering a culture of sexual harassment. Employees who have worked at the company between September 1st, 2016 and Tuesday, March 29th can submit a claim for sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, or related retaliation.

supervisory employees will be required to attend trainings on harassment and discrimination and will have mental health resources available to them. The decree will be in effect for three years. The full document can be found here or at the bottom of the article.

The consent decree could potentially harm the case against the company. That included requesting a stay in the case. The consent decree was the subject of a hearing on Tuesday.

Bobby Kotick said in a press release that the agreement they reached with the EEOC last year reflected their commitment to ensure a safe and equitable working environment for all employees. The approval of this settlement by the court is an important step in ensuring that our employees have recourse if they experience harassment or retaliation.

The board of directors of The Verge's parent company is chaired by a man who is also on the board of directors of a different company.