A series of alarming allegations and legal action have sprung forth from a former developer of The Elder Scrolls Online. Leona Faren, a trans female media artist who worked on the MMORPG from 2018 to 2022, has come forth with a story that accuses both ZOS and Bethesda of transphobic actions and healthcare held hostage, which she claims ultimately forced her to resign and resulted in a lawsuit against ZOS.
Faren outlines her alleged experience in a four-hour-long video, with accusations of a snowball effect that started with her allegedly being outed as transgender by a manager without her permission and locked out of her work accounts because her deadname was used for login.
Faren then says that when she moved the matter up from ZOS to Bethesda itself, she believes she was deemed a “liability” and claims she was pressured into signing away her right to sue Bethesda in exchange for keeping her healthcare package, which would cover gender-affirming surgeries she had scheduled. Her battles with HR allegedly persisted until she finally accepted the resignation offer last year.
This leads to the court filing made by Faren this past May against both ZOS and AP Benefit Advisors, LLC in a Maryland district court. The case so far has not been assigned any court date but has moved through the legal process through June and July, with representatives of both companies appearing before the judge assigned to the matter. The most recent filings were made last week, which involve extensions for both ZOS and AP Benefit Advisors to answer the complaint Faren has filed.
We reached out to Bethsoft PR last night for a statement, but it’s unlikely the studio will comment on ongoing litigation or personnel matters.
