French court finds three ex-Ubisoft execs guilty of harassment charges
Ubisoft
executives,
Tommy François
,
Serge Hascoët
, and
Guillaume Patrux
, guilty of 'moral and
sexual harassment
and attempted sexual assault' following a recent hearing.
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This verdict concludes a key part of what became known as the '
Ubisoft Scandal
,' which began in 2020. The scandal initially revealed a party-like atmosphere at Ubisoft that allegedly involved harassment and potential assault. Five years after the initial revelations, these three executives, who had resigned from the company, have now received their sentences. The sexual harassment trial began which began last month, focuses on determining the accountability of the executives identified as central to the misconduct.
What the French court said about the three ex-Ubiosft execs
According to a report by French publication Liberation, the court said:
'Tommy François, Serge Hascoët and Guillaume Patrux were found guilty of moral and sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault by the Bobigny criminal court.'
The report mentions that the court
'handed down suspended sentences of up to three years in prison against three of the video game giant's former executives.'
A suspended sentence means the executives will not serve prison time unless they commit further offences, which could then activate the court's authority to enforce incarceration.
'The most heavily sentenced is the former vice-president of the editorial department, Tommy François. He received a three-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 30,000 euros, the sentence requested by the prosecutor for the charges of moral and sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault,"
the report added.
Serge Hascoët received a suspended sentence of eighteen months and a 45,000-euro fine.
Meanwhile, former game director Guillaume Patrux
'was sentenced to twelve months in prison with a suspended sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros for his violent and intimidating behavior towards the small team where he worked.'
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The court findings describe the behaviour of the three as including
'sexist jokes, humiliations, and uncomfortable or vulgar behaviour towards certain employees.'
These claims align with earlier reports suggesting the company's headquarters had a
'Boys' club atmosphere.'
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