Eight more women add statements to PlayStation sexism lawsuit

Eight more women have come forward to accuse Sony of workplace bullying, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment, according to new court filings. The statements include allegations male colleagues would distribute porn around the office, rank the appearance of female coworkers, and visit strip clubs during their lunch breaks.

The allegations were made in support of a lawsuit filed by former PlayStation security analyst Emma Majo last November, Axios reports, which alleges the tech giant “discriminates against female employees, including those who are female and those who identify as female, in compensation and promotion and subjects them to a work culture predominated by men”.

Sony requested the court to dismiss the suit, claiming Majo “fails to identify a single policy, practice or procedure at SIE [Sony Interactive Enteratainment] that allegedly formed the basis of any widespread intentional discrimination or had a discriminatory impact on women”. The testimonies of the additional eight women – seven former employees and one current – were filed in response to that request. 

As Polygon reports, they include allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination, as well as Sony’s inability to properly investigate the issues when they are raised.

Several women claim oin their statements that they were groped by colleagues, and one woman alleges she was forced to stop breastfeeding because facilities with adequate privacy weren’t available

The testimonies also claim women were passed over for promotion and many left the company because of its workplace culture.

Majo’s lawyer said other women who experienced similar treatment “were too scared to speak up about what had occurred at the company.”

TechRadar Gaming contacted PlayStation for comment, but did not receive a reply.

The lawsuit against Sony follows allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at other large video game companies. Activision Blizzard is being sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing following its investigation into the publisher’s discrimination against female employees, and Ubisoft faced a workplace misconduct scandal in 2020.