Activision has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming giant of poaching CFO Spencer Neumann. Neumann was hired by Netflix within days of a messy departure from Activision.
According to a lawsuit spotted by The Hollywood Reporter (via GamesIndustry), Activision is accusing Netflix of intentional interference with contract, unfair competition, and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty.
In that lawsuit, Activision says Netflix encouraged Neumann to breach his employment contract while Neumann was negotiating with Netflix as part of his duties as Activision's then-CFO. Part of that encouragement allegedly came from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who the documents say was "personally involved" in Neumann's recruitment.
THR points out that this is the third time Netflix has been accused of illegally poaching employees from other entertainment companies.
Neumann has now been with Netflix for close to two years, after being hired by the streaming service as its CFO in early 2019. While rumors of the hire had circulated days before it was made official, the get raised eyebrows given that it came just days after Neumann was placed on leave pending firing from his role as CFO at Activision Blizzard after a year and a half with the company.