A federal judge has denied two requests filed by Activision Blizzard. Both were linked to an ongoing harassment and misconduct lawsuit filed against the Call of Duty publisher last year.

A judge has denied Activision Blizzard’s request to pause the DFEH lawsuit a few days after it was filed. The decision came in the wake of the growing tensions between California’s authorities and the EEOC.

Since Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzard for discrimination and harassment, the company has fired 20 employees and “reprimanded” another 20 to create “a more accountable workplace.”

Soon after California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) objected to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) planned settlement with Activision Blizzard, the EEOC filed its own opposition. This conflict will probably make the whole situation even more complicated.

This week, Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed an expanded anti-discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. In addition to the female full-time staff, it now includes contract workers. Moreover, DFEH alleges the publisher’s “failure to maintain and produce records.”

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed a request with the Los Angeles Superior Court to compel Riot Games to send a notice to its workers about their rights to speak with the agency.

What is forced arbitration? Why do California employers force new hires into arbitration agreements? How can DFEH represent affected employees of Activision Blizzard in court despite their having signed those agreements? Senior lawyer Evgeny Farafonov at law firm Semenov&Pevzner is here to explain.

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the same agency that sued Activision Blizzard, filed a similar lawsuit against Riot Games.