After Riot Games conducted an internal investigation, no evidence was found of harassment by CEO Nicolo Laurent against a former employee, Sharon O’Donnell, the Washington Post reported. “We concluded that there was no evidence that Laurent harassed, discriminated or retaliated against the plaintiff,” the company said in a statement. “We have therefore come to the conclusion that no action should be taken against Laurent at present.”
Riot, which publishes games including League of Legends and Brave, opened the investigation after Laurent, a former executive assistant, filed a lawsuit against the company. Laurent is alleged to have made inappropriate sexual comments and told her to be more feminine and watch her tone. Laurent also said that because O’Donnell refused his advance, had his duties removed and was eventually fired. She also claims that she was not paid for her work, nor did she receive overtime, nor did she get a meal.
Following an investigation by an external legal team, a special board committee concluded that the claims were void. “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, that was not one of the cases. In this case, we simply could not find any evidence that would justify a sanction against Laurent. ‘The company also asked the court to expedite litigation in O’Donnell’s lawsuit by moving the case to arbitration.
The company is also facing a lawsuit over widespread discrimination and harassment after 2018 Kotaku investigation and enterprise-wide outflow. Riot Games is also trying to demand arbitration in the case, arguing that the women involved signed arbitration clauses when they were appointed.
However, the Riot board said the decision to favor Laurent is separate from major business culture issues. ‘Although we conclude in this particular case that no discrimination, harassment or retaliation has taken place, it makes it clear to us that we as a committee remain fully invested in overseeing the company’s initiatives to promote the culture of Riot to transform, ‘he said. “We encourage any Riot employee who experiences misconduct to feel safe to report it.”