Activision Blizzard Sued For Wrongful Death Of Female Employee

It's been hard to miss all that has been going on at Activision Blizzard over the last few months. The company has been hit by a lawsuit due to numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, and toxic work culture. One of these allegations surrounds the death of 32-year-old finance manager Kerri Moynihan, who committed suicide during a work holiday retreat, allegedly due to the environment at the company.

Now Moynihan's parents are also suing the company for wrongful death of their daughter, according to a report by The Washington Post. Activision Blizzard responded to the original lawsuit and allegations by claiming many allegations were "distorted" or "false", going on to state: “We are sickened by the reprehensible conduct of the DFEH (the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which instigated the initial lawsuit) 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."

It seems now that Moynihan's family do not believe this to be the case. The family claims Moynihan was having a sexual relationship with her boss at Activision Blizzard, Greg Restituito, at the time of her death. At the work holiday, which took place at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the original lawsuit claims photographs of Moynihan's vagina were handed around by male staff, and comments were made about a "male supervisor", who allegedly brought sex toys with him to the retreat.

On the night of her death Restituito met with Moynihan in the hotel lobby and, according to the family's suit, had a conversation with her, later texting her: "Please don’t do that. Not tonight. Think about it and make your decision when your mind is clear." It is claimed she took her own life just 30 minutes later. An alleged police report then claims that Restituito had “seemingly unusual inquiries with other employees who were present with (Moynihan) the night preceding her death".

According to the suit, Activision Blizzard refused to hand police Restituito's company-issued laptop or phone. It also claims the company refused the same for Moynihan's work laptop and said that her phone had been "wiped". The lawsuit is centred around Activision Blizzard's role in her death, claiming Restituito “concealed the fact that he had been having a sexual relationship" with Moynihan, and he and other supervisors at Activision Blizzard “knew or should have known” that Moynihan was being sexually harassed but “failed and refused to take immediate corrective action".