Activision responds to Scump and H3CZ's lawsuit of Call of Duty League monopoly

Following a lawsuit filed by two renowned Call of Duty personalities, Scump and H3CZ, against Activision, claiming the company's alleged unlawful monopoly over the Call of Duty League, Activision has responded, stating its intention to defend against the claims.

The lawsuit claims that Activision exerts ''unlawful monopoly power as a virtual nuclear weapon,'' securing exclusive rights to lucrative sponsors and broadcasters while restricting CDL teams and players from certain rights, for instance, supporting any other CoD tournaments or leagues outside the official Activision-produced league.

In its response, Activision denied the allegations in the lawsuit and issued a counter-allegation. For the complete statement from Activision, read on.

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Activision's response to Call of Duty League monopoly lawsuit

After the lawsuit was filed, Activision released a statement denying all the allegations. They also countered, claiming that Scump and H3CZ proposed a settlement involving tens of millions, which the company declined, leading to the lawsuit's filing.

Activision's full statement addressing the lawsuit is stated below:

"Mr. Rodriguez (aka OpTic H3CZ) and Mr. Abner (aka Scump) demanded that Activision Blizzard pay them tens of millions of dollars to avoid this meritless litigation, and when their demands were not met, they filed. We will strongly defend against these claims, which have no basis in fact or in law. We are disappointed that these members of the esports community would bring this suit which is disruptive to team owners, players, fans, and partners who have invested so much time and energy into the Call of Duty League’s success."

The lawsuit is still pending, with the outcome uncertain. Both parties are prepared to present valid points with proper evidence to back up their claims.

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Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, the owner of OpTic Gaming, and Seth “Scump” Abner, a professional esports player, have filed this federal lawsuit seeking $680 million in damages from Activision.

The suit alleges that Activision's unlawful conduct caused H3CZ to suffer "economic injury." In September 2020, Rodriguez attempted to enter the newly monopolized market as the individual owner of an Activision CoD League team under the newly re-acquired OpTic Brand. However, Activision refused to approve and forced him to partner with wealthy investors of Activision's preference. These investors demanded a 92.5% ownership share in Rodriguez's company if his OpTic-branded team continued to participate in the professional Call of Duty League.