author: Bart Swiatek
Riot Games Sued For Harassment and Discrimination, Again
Riot Games is facing more allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, as well as a new, relevant lawsuit. This time the accusations directly involve the studio's current CEO, Nicolo Laurent.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- Riot Games faces another lawsuit for sexual harassment and gender discrimination;
- This time the plaintiff is Sharon O'Donnell - former assistant to CEO Nicolo Laurent;
- The woman accuses her former boss of numerous inappropriate behaviors and punishing her for not responding to his advances, and eventually firing her;
- Riot Games refutes the last part of the allegations, but assures that all accusations of Nicolo Laurent's behavior will be thoroughly investigated.
Riot Games, the studio responsible for MOBA League of Legends and the popular shooter Valorant, among other titles, has been sued by its former employee Sharon O'Donnell. The woman, who was assistant to CEO Nicolo Laurent until last July, accuses him of sexual harassment and gender discrimination (via PC Gamer).
The lawsuit mentions numerous situations that, if true, can hardly be considered professional and appropriate behavior. For example, Nicolo Laurent allegedly demanded that the female employee "be more feminine" and suggested that she "take care of him" in his home in the absence of his wife. Perhaps most bizarre is the thread about the Covid-19 pandemic - the CEO reportedly suggested that women deal with stress by having babies.
Sharon O'Donnell claims she was punished in various ways for resisting the CEO's not-so-subtle suggestions - such as not being paid overtime and being denied her lunch break. The woman getting laid off is also alleged to be related to the case. In a statement for PC Gamer, a Riot Games spokesperson denied the latter accusation, stating that the reason Sharon O'Donnell was fired was due to numerous and well-documented complaints. The remaining allegations are to be thoroughly investigated by an external law firm, and the results of the investigation will be evaluated by a committee with the board members. Nicolo Laurent has announced his full cooperation.
"The plaintiff was dismissed from the company over seven months ago based on multiple well-documented complaints from a variety of people. (...) Our CEO has pledged his full cooperation and support during this process, and we're committed to ensuring that all claims are thoroughly explored and appropriately resolved," sair Riot's representative.
It is worth noting that these are not the first accusations of sexist behavior and harassment within the ranks of Riot Games. In November 2018, two women filed a lawsuit in court, in which very similar allegations appeared. Six months later, 150 employees of the company in question took to the streets in protest against discrimination and sexism. In turn, in August 2019, the aforementioned trial was supposed to end in a settlement - but this was withdrawn when the Californian authorities suggested that the employer should pay a much larger amount.