SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Activision Publishing, Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq:
ATVI), announced that the Los Angeles Superior Court has
denied a motion brought by Electronic Arts, Inc. (EA) for summary
judgment, thereby permitting Activision to proceed to trial on its
$400 million contract-interference
suit against EA.. At a hearing held yesterday, December 21, 2012, Judge Elihu Berle denied EA's motion, finding that the
evidence presented by Activision supplied a basis for a jury to
potentially conclude both that EA had intentionally interfered with
Activision's employment agreements with former Call of Duty game
developers, Jason West and
Vince Zampella, and that EA had
aided and abetted West and Zampella's breach of fiduciary duties to
Activision. A related summary judgment motion put forth by
West and Zampella was also denied.
In the suit Activision alleges that West and Zampella breached
their contracts and duty of loyalty to Activision by conduct that
was insubordinate and otherwise improper and that West and
Zampella's misconduct was caused, at least in part, by EA's
unlawful tampering. A jury trial in the case is scheduled to
begin on May 7, 2012.
About Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a worldwide online,
PC, console, handheld and mobile game publisher with leading
positions across the major categories of the rapidly growing
interactive entertainment software industry.
Activision Blizzard maintains operations in the U.S.,
Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the
Netherlands, Australia,
South Korea and China. More
information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found
on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.