Riot Games, the American video game publisher and developer behind League of Legends, and its French boss, Nicolo Laurent, are sued by a former employee, who accuses the executive of sexual harassment and sexist remarks .

Nicolo Laurent's former assistant also describes a toxic and unhealthy working atmosphere for the women in the company.

The American publisher and developer of video games Riot Games, in particular behind the famous League of Legends, and his French boss, Nicolo Laurent, are being sued by a former employee, who accuses the manager of sexual harassment and sexist remarks.

The complaint was filed in early January in a Los Angeles court by Sharon O'Donnell, a former assistant to Nicolo Laurent fired in July 2020. 

Requests for sexual favors

Sharon O'Donell affirms that Nicolo Laurent would have asked him for sexual favors by offering him in particular to come to his home when his family was away and believes that his dismissal is directly linked to his refusal to accept these advances.

The former employee also says that Nicolo Laurent allegedly told women working for Riot Games that the best "way to deal with the stress of the pandemic is to have children."

A "toxic and unhealthy" work environment

She describes a toxic and unhealthy working environment for the women in the company.

“Employees experience discrimination, harassment and are treated like second-class citizens,” said Sharon O'Donnell.

In a statement, Riot Games challenged the conditions of Sharon O'Donnell's dismissal, claiming to have terminated his contract after "dozens of complaints from employees and external partners and after multiple support sessions for try to accommodate his concerns. "

The company nevertheless claims to take seriously any accusation of harassment or discrimination.

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Riot Games, already pinned for sexism

In 2018, the specialized site Kotaku published a long survey on sexism within Californian society, describing a corporate culture that gives pride of place to male interpersonal skills and frequently refusing promotions to female employees.

This investigation resulted in a class action lawsuit against Riot Games, which paid $ 10 million in 2019 to end the lawsuits.