Naughty Dog Responds to Sexual Harassment Allegations
David Ballard's Claims
In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward. 1/
— David Ballard (@DBal) October 14, 2017
In Ballard’s initial tweet, he claimed that he was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a superior, an altercation that soon led to the deterioration of his position within the company.
Expanding on the claims, Ballard said that he spoke to Sony PlayStation HR about the allegations and was subsequently fired the following day with a statement that said his job was “no longer needed.” From there, he said that he was offered a $20,000 deal if he didn’t talk to anyone about the termination, a deal that he declined.
Ballard said that he felt strong enough to now
Naughty Dog's Statement
Naughty Dog has issued a response to Ballard’s sexual harassment allegations, the full response seen below:
“We have recently read on social media that an ex-employee of Naughty Dog, Dave Ballard, claims he was sexually harassed when he worked at Naughty Dog. We have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony
No further reports of communications between Ballard, Naughty Dog, and Sony are available at this time.
In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward. 1\/<\/p>\r\n\u2014 David Ballard (@DBal) October 14, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n