A former lawyer with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has accused Governor Gavin Newsom of interfering with the company’s towards Activision Blizzard. According to an e mail seen by , DFEH assistant chief counsel Melanie Proctor stated Tuesday she was resigning her place to protest the abrupt firing of Janette Wipper, the watchdog’s chief counsel.

“The Office of the Governor repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and of next steps in the litigation,” Proctor writes in her resignation. “As we continued to win in state court, this interference increased, mimicking the interests of Activision’s counsel.” Proctor alleges Wipper was “abruptly terminated” for making an attempt to guard the DFEH’s independence. According to the e-mail, the previous chief counsel is contemplating “all avenues of legal recourse,” together with a declare below California’s Whistleblower Protection Act.

We’ve reached out to the Office of Governor Newsom for remark.

News of the resignation comes little greater than two weeks after a federal decide ordered Activision Blizzard to to settle a US Equal Opportunity Commission lawsuit accusing the writer of fostering a discriminatory office. Before that grievance was filed, California’s honest employment company its personal lawsuit towards Activision Blizzard following a two-year investigation into sexual harassment allegations on the writer. The DFEH case is at present scheduled to go to trial in February 2023, however the allegations put ahead by Proctor are more likely to elevate questions concerning the final destiny of the lawsuit.