# California suing Activision Blizzard over sex discrimination **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 22, 2021, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037 "2021-07-22T08:12:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037/41 "2021-11-17T00:58:01Z")
It gets worse. Remember the tone-deaf “FAKE NEWS! SAD!” Fran Townsend email that lead to a walkout and Townsend leaving the company? Turns out Kotick wrote it himself and signed her name on it. > **[Bobby Kotick Actually Wrote Fran Townsend's Deranged, Company-Wide Email](https://kotaku.com/bobby-kotick-actually-wrote-fran-townsends-deranged-co-1848069983?rev=1637100583569&utm_campaign=Kotaku&utm_content=1637100720&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=twitter)** > > The email led to a staff walkout earlier this year. Kotick now "regrets" it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2021, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037/42 "2021-11-17T01:14:40Z")
In response to the WSJ article today, a number of Activision Blizzard employees staged a walkout, demanding Kotick’s resignation. Meanwhile, Kotick and the company issued statements which were critical of the WSJ article, and how it portrayed the company and its culture. > **[After bombshell report, Activision employees walk out, demand CEO resign](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/after-bombshell-report-activision-employees-walk-out-demand-ceo-resign/)** > > WSJ report offers disturbing allegations of Kotick's treatment of harassment complaints. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2021, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037/43 "2021-11-17T02:26:20Z")
I never believed that Fran Townsend decided to send out that email without Kotick’s sign off, but that he literally drafted the thing himself and ordered her to send it under her own name is a little surprising. And he’s let her take the blame and twist in the wind for months. What a piece of crap. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037/44 "2021-12-09T13:48:22Z")
Not only were the designated milk-pumping areas for new mothers inadequate and dangerous, but the fridges had to be padlocked because men were stealing breast milk from them. > ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037/45 "2021-12-09T21:52:01Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > men were stealing breast milk from them It’s not as weird as you think, they needed it to make breast cheese. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-suing-activision-blizzard-over-sex-discrimination/947037.md?page=2)