Blizzard General Counsel steps down in Activision lawsuit

Blizzard Entertainment Legal Director Claire Hart has resigned from embasmall business. She broke the news in a Post on LinkedIn yesterday, saying that last Friday, September 17th, was his last day.

Hart, who had held the post for three years – and who had already counted a decade at Google, according to LinkedIn – did not cite a reason for his resignation, saying only that: “The last three years have been full of twists and turns and turns. unexpected twists and turns. tours, but I feel honored to have worked with and met so many great people at Blizzard and in the activities of Activision Blizzard.

Other than a “short break,” Hart didn’t mention the next step in the pipeline. She also did not respond to a request for comment from Kotaku in time for publication.

It is impossible to ignore the circumstances in which Blizzard has lost its best lawyer.

Read more: Everything that has happened since the Activision Blizzard lawsuit was filed

On July 20, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzard for several “Violations of state civil rights and equal pay laws”, including widespread harassment, discrimination and abuse. Notably, the prosecution cites a known as “Cosby Suite” at BlizzCon. Over 2,000 employees, many of whom subsequently participated in a highly publicized walkout–sent a letter to the company condemning his horrible behavior. More recently, these employees say Activision Blizzard is not responding to their requests.

Sponsors pulled bracket for the company’s esport. Activision Blizzard was hit by a second trial (a class action) on the first. And yesterday like first reported through The Wall Street Journal, word broke that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission launched a large investigation in Activision Blizzard, even issuing a subpoena (basically, a court order that legally compels someone to testify) to longtime CEO Bobby Kotick.

Hart is the latest in a series of executive departures at Blizzard. Last month, Blizzard President J. Allen Brack has resigned. He was replaced by Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra, both of whom are relatively new to the business and will jointly hold the No. 1 spot at Blizzard. Director of Human Resources Jesse Meschuk left too. And Jesse McCree, director of the next Blizzard movie Diablo 4, also left last month.

Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.