Kerri Moynihan, a 32-year-old finance manager at Activision Blizzard, committed suicide after she was allegedly sexually harassed by members of Activision Blizzard.
Her parents are now suing the company for wrongful death.
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Trigger Warning – suicide, sexual harassment
In 2017, during a company retreat Kerri Moynihan, a 32-year-old finance manager at Activision Blizzard, committed suicide. The incident has led her parents, Paul and Janet Moynihan, to suing the game developer and publisher for wrongful death.
The parents allege sexual harassment within Activision Blizzard was a “significant factor” in their daughter’s death.
Reference to Moynihan first appeared in a California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit (DFEH) in July 2021. The suit accused Activision Blizzard of fostering a culture of sexual harassment, misconduct, and gender-based discrimination.
The lawsuit stated that during the work retreat at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, male co-workers passed around an explicit picture of Moynihan.
In response, Activision Blizzard said the lawsuit was “distorted, and in many cases false.” The company went on to say: “We are sickened by the reprehensible conduct of the DFEH to drag into the complaint the tragic suicide of an employee whose passing has no bearing whatsoever on this case and with no regard for her grieving family.”
The latest lawsuit
The case filed by Paul and Janet Moynihan alleges that their daughter’s boss Greg Restituito lied to investigators in the Anaheim Police Department by hiding the fact that he had a sexual relationship with Moynihan.
According to the Washington Post, who shared the details of the lawsuit, Restituito made an effort to hide evidence of the relationship.
Activision Blizzard then allegedly then refused to give the authorities access to the company-issued laptop of Moynihan or Restituito. Additionally, the company did not give Restituito’s phone to the police and claimed that Moynihan’s had been “wiped.”
Restituito left Activision Blizzard a month after the death of Moynihan.
The suit claims that Moynihan’s parents were unaware of the harassment she received until July 2021.
It also states that Activision supervisors including Restituito “knew or should have known” about the harassment but nonetheless “failed and refused to take immediate corrective action.”
The suit notes: “The harassment to which Kerri was subjected was a substantial factor in causing harm to Kerri… tragically culminating in Kerri’s death at the age of 32.”
In an indirect response to the lawsuit, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Washington Post that the company is “deeply saddened by the tragic death of Ms. Moynihan, who was a valued member of the company. We will address the complaint through the legal process as appropriate, and out of respect for the family we have no further comment at this time.”
UNLEASH has reached out for further comment from Activision Blizzard but has yet to receive a response.
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