California judge rejects Activision Blizzard request to pause sexual harassment lawsuit

A Los Angeles county court judge has rejected Activision Blizzard’s attempt to pause an ongoing lawsuit regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, according to GamesIndustry.biz and Law360.

Two government entities, California’s Department of Fair Employment (DFEH) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), have been fighting over Activision Blizzard’s $18 million settlement with the EEOC. The DFEH objected to the settlement, arguing that if it were approved by the judge, it’d harm its own case against the gaming giant.

During the course of the argument, Activision Blizzard moved to pause the lawsuit while it investigated the ethics complaints brought up by the EEOC. A judge denied that request today, although L.A. county court judge Timothy Patrick Dillon did not elaborate on his reasoning, according to GamesIndustry.biz and Law360.

This decision comes after the DFEH filed an opposition to Activision Blizzard’s request to stay the case. The DFEH said Activision Blizzard’s request was “baseless” and that it fully intended and is looking forward to prosecuting the case.

This is just one of many moves in this incredibly messy case, which involves two separate lawsuits from two separate government entities that relate to the same issue. Although Activision Blizzard was on the cusp of settling the suit with the complaint filed by the EEOC, that’s now up in the air due to the DFEH’s involvement with the dispute.