A judge is set to decide whether a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard Inc. over alleged sexual harassment and discrimination can include temporary workers who were not hired directly by the game maker, a ruling that will determine the scope of the suit and the potential financial fallout for the company.
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing brought suit against Activision in July, and then filed an amended complaint in late August, adding “contingent or temporary workers” to its claims.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Timothy P. Dillon will hear oral arguments on Activision’s bid to exclude those workers from the lawsuit on Tuesday, before ruling on the appropriate scope of the case.
Dillon’s decision will have wide-ranging implications for the broader tech workforce, where temporary workers are a growing subset, said industry watchers.
“Tech companies are very risk-averse when it comes to this type of joint-employment litigation,” said Samantha Gordon, senior vice president of advocacy and organizing at Tech Equity Collaborative.
“People are paying attention to this,” Gordon added. “It will raise their hackles around this issue and send a very important signal, especially if DFEH can put penalties to Activision for this behavior, and show there’s accountability for worker harm.”
Workers hired through a staffing agency typically...
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