The DFEH Push Riot Games To Let Employee Speak Up

Arguably we haven’t covered this story enough, though it is hard to when you weren’t around for its inception and don’t particularly follow the developer in the first place. Back in 2018, Kotaku released a lengthy report on the developer of League of Legends, Riot Games, which led to a lawsuit on discrimination which means the company is meant to pay $10-million to women who worked for them in the last 5-years. However, as we’ve covered here recently, there is a US agency that isn’t taking too kindly to games companies and their unfair treatment of workers.

There is no need to go into the details of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Vs Activision-Blizzard for their history of harassment, discrimination, and general unsavory work conduct. However, the DFEH filed its own lawsuit with Riot back in February according to Polygon, over discrimination of hiring, promotion, harassment, and noted retaliation by the company of female employees. According to the DFEH’s statement released Monday, Riot has not been correctly informing employees of their right to talk to the state officials for two months now.

The statement notes of a court filing on Monday with the Los Angeles Superior Court to push Riot’s hand into informing employees of their ability to talk with the DFEH since June 4th without employer retaliation. Furthermore, it would allow employees “to speak freely with the government about unlawful workplace practices” without fear of reprisal over non-disclosure or non-disparagement arrangements previously agreed upon. DFEH Director Kevin Kish notes, “Agreements that attempt to bar individuals from filing a complaint or assisting in a DFEH case run afoul of the anti-retaliation and anti-interference provisions of the Fair Employment and Housing Act.“

Kish goes on to say, “Employers cannot impose a penalty on people who engage in protected activity under statutes enforced by DFEH. The very existence of such agreements has a chilling effect on the willingness of individuals to come forward with information that may be of importance to the DFEH as it seeks to advance the public interest in the elimination of unlawful employment discrimination and harassment.” The statement from Monday mentions the investigation the DFEH has been conducting since 2019, with continued requests for cooperation being made. Nevertheless, this is the second time the DFEH remark a delay in those requests for participation in the investigation into Riot Games by the company itself.

In a statement to The Verge, a Riot spokesperson said, “notices are being sent to former employees to confirm that Riot’s severance agreements have never in any way prohibited speaking to government agencies.” They went on to deny claims that the company has ever prevented employees to speak with government agencies, at the state or federal level, with a screenshot of the company’s severance agreement. They maintain that it was policy for years.