Riot Games concludes an investigation into whether CEO Nicolo Laurent harassed or discriminated against former employee Sharon O’Donnell and said there was no evidence for the claim. ‘After investigating the results of the investigation,’ Riot said in a statement, ‘there is no evidence that Nicolo’s Mrs. O’Donnell did not harass, discriminate or retaliate. The special committee also expressed its full confidence in Nicolo’s leadership, that no action against him would be justified, and that he would continue to act as CEO. ”
The Washington Post reported the news earlier today, and Riot posted an overview of the findings of the investigation as well as a letter from Laurent. The Post also reports that Riot has asked a court to expedite lawsuits for a case that O’Donnell filed earlier this year, and is trying to move the case to arbitration.
Riot, the studio behind games like Brave and League of Legends, opened an investigation into Laurent after O’Donnell’s lawsuit. O’Donnell, a former executive assistant, claims Laurent made inappropriate sexual and derogatory remarks about her gender. She also claimed she was fired after refusing sexual advances from the CEO.
Now, based on the findings of an external legal team, a special committee of the board has concluded that the claims are not meritorious. “This is not a recommendation we take lightly,” the committee said in a statement. “Most cases of this nature are not black and white; they fall into the gray. However, this was not the case. In this case, we simply could not find any evidence to justify a sanction against Laurent. ”
The committee members said they would request that the case be reopened if new evidence emerges. O’Donnell’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the results of the investigation.
These claims against Laurent were part of a much larger controversy regarding Riot’s corporate culture. Several employees told stories of widespread discrimination and harassment in the studio, which led to Riot apologizing and promising changes, including the chief operating officer suspended for two months. In addition to O’Donnell’s lawsuit, Riot is currently pursuing a class action lawsuit against sex offenders. According to a report, Alienware terminated a partnership with Riot following the allegations; Riot declined to comment on the claim at the time.
In its statement, the board tried to separate Laurent’s investigation from a larger mission to change Riot’s culture. “Although we conclude in this particular case that no discrimination, harassment or retaliation has taken place, let us be clear that we as a committee remain fully invested in overseeing the company’s initiatives to promote the culture of Riot transform, “he said.” We encourage any Riot employee who experiences misconduct to feel safe reporting it. “