Activision wrongful death lawsuit dropped

The parents of Kerri Moynihan have asked a California court to dismiss their lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over the death of their daughter, according to a recent court filing.

Driving the news: Paul and Janet Moynihan made their request, which hadn’t been widely reported, on May 6.

• The request calls for the “entire action” to be dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it could not be filed again.
• The family’s lawyer and an Activision rep both declined to comment to Axios about the dismissal.

Context: The Moynihans sued Activision in March, alleging workplace sexual harassment was a “significant factor” leading to the 2017 death of their daughter, a 32-year-old finance manager, at a company retreat.

• The parents had criticized Activision and the Anaheim (California) Police Department for their investigations into their daughter’s death, which a county coroner had determined to be a suicide, according to a Washington Post summary of the suit.
• Kerri Moynihan’s death had first been referenced, without use of her name, in the state of California’s sweeping July 2021 discrimination and misconduct lawsuit against Activision as an alleged example of the company’s problems regarding sexism and sexual misconduct.
• Activision had quickly disputed many of the allegations in the California suit, which it continues to fight, and said last summer that Kerri Moynihan’s death “has no bearing whatsoever on this case.”

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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