For the past year, Ubisoft has been trying its best to get out from under a sexual harassment scandal that has already taken down many a former executive. Ubisoft's CEO has tried to make it seem like the company has turned a corner when it comes to its toxic work environment, but acknowledging that such an environment remains a risk to the company's future makes it seem like this scandal is still very much a going concern.
On top of the bad press, now Ubisoft has to contend with an actual lawsuit. Le Solidaires Informatique, a union composed of French technology employees, has filed suit against Ubisoft as well as several current and former employees.
Le Solidaires Informatique put out a call for collective action against Ubisoft soon after the scandal broke last summer asking anyone with information to come forward. The union has been taking testimonials and building their case for the past year, and now has filed suit in Bobigny criminal court, with Maude Beckers providing representation.
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Besides Ubisoft as a legal entity, the suit names several former employees as defendants: Tommy Francois, a former member of Ubisoft's editorial department and one of the first Ubisoft executives fired in the scandal; Serge Hascoet, the former global creative director who resigned soon after the scandal broke; and Cecile Cornet, former global director of human resources and a central figure accused of covering up harassment allegations against Ubisoft's top executives.
Also named as a defendant is Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft's current CEO. Despite calls for his resignation, Guillemot has managed to retain his position throughout the scandal while deflecting accusations of personal involvement. Guillemot has issued two open letters explaining the company’s actions to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace, although French publication Le Telegramme recently published an expose saying that “nothing has changed” at Ubisoft.
Now with a lawsuit filed, what changes Ubisoft has or hasn’t enacted could become a matter of public record.
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