State lawyer alleges Newsom interfered in Activision lawsuit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California state lawyer has resigned over what she alleged were undue attempts by Gov. Gavin Newsom and his office to interfere in a state lawsuit against video game giant Activision Blizzard.

Bloomberg reported Melanie Proctor, assistant chief counsel with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, told staff in a Tuesday email she was resigning in protest over the firing of Janette Wipper, the department's chief counsel who worked on the Activision lawsuit. Proctor also said Newsom's office asked for “advance notice" on elements of the litigation.

“As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision's counsel," the email said, according to Bloomberg.

Newsom's spokeswoman Erin Mellon said claims of interference by the governor's office “are categorically false."

No other details about Newsom's alleged interference have been made public. Activision spokesman Rich George did not immediately respond to an email Thursday.

Activision is a Santa Monica-based company that makes popular games like Call of Duty, Candy Crush and World of Warcraft.

The state Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued the company in July, alleging a “frat boy” culture that had become a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women.” The state alleged the company has also failed to pay women fairly and promoted them at slower rates than men. Black women and other women of color were “particularly impacted" by the company's discriminatory practices, the state department said in a news release at the time.

The case is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Newsom, a Democrat, is facing re-election in November. He is not facing any major opponents after handily defeating a recall...