Sony has responded to former Future 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett’s $200m USD wrongful dismissal lawsuit, detailing Barrett’s alleged ‘disturbing communications’ with feminine subordinates – together with “sexually charged video games of ‘Fact or Dare'”.
Barrett’s departure from Bungie was first reported final March, amid phrase of a management shakeup on the studio. Nonetheless, it was later claimed Barrett was fired from his position following an inside investigation into accusation of inappropriate behaviour filed by “a minimum of eight” feminine staff. Issues took additional flip in December, when Barrett filed a lawsuit in opposition to Bungie and Sony, claiming the businesses had “intentionally destroyed [his] repute by falsely, and publicly, insinuating…he had engaged in sexual misconduct.”
Barrett’s record of accusations was lengthy, however core to his argument was the declare his firing was a “premeditated scheme” concocted so Bungie and Sony may keep away from paying him “practically $50m… owed below his employment settlement”. He moreover claimed he “didn’t do something remotely resembling gross misconduct or ‘Trigger’ as outlined within the Retention Agreements… and there couldn’t have been any credible allegation he did as a result of [he] had a spotless twenty-five yr monitor document at Bungie.”
And now (through Sport File’s Stephen Totilo), Sony has filed its first substantive response, denying Barret’s claims and detailing the occasions allegedly resulting in his dismissal. “A number of feminine, subordinate staff individually reported to Human Sources that Barrett engaged in inappropriate behaviour and disturbing written and verbal communications,” it wrote, “which made them uncomfortable and frightened of retaliation in the event that they failed to have interaction or reported Barrett.”
“The investigation revealed that Barrett’s misconduct with every worker was constant: he focused a lower-level, feminine worker he wasn’t working with immediately, initially engaged in pleasant dialog, and progressively pushed boundaries with the worker by making refined references to her bodily look or expressing his curiosity romantically.
“Barrett tried to create an unprofessional degree of intimacy together with his victims,” Sony continued in its court docket submission. “He requested to observe private Instagram accounts and would categorical anger to the ladies in the event that they failed to reply to his messages. He would deliver up inappropriate matters like their physique, their relationships, his marriage, or his need to this point them. He would demand that they take part in sexually charged video games of ‘Fact or Dare’ and ‘Ask Me Something’. He texted them in any respect hours of the day and night time. He supplied to purchase them presents. He typically referenced his wealth and his skill to advance their careers.”
Sony’s submitting additionally contains a number of examples of Barrett’s alleged misconduct, together with an incident the place it is claimed he FaceTimed one feminine worker late at night time whereas drunk regardless of requests to “recognise ‘boundaries'”, finally transferring to his bed room and telling her, “I am unable to consider I’m mendacity in mattress whereas speaking to [VICTIM 1]”.
Barrett additionally allegedly contacted a second worker through Instagram direct message, telling her, “You’re the holy grail. I hope you discover an individual worthy of your consideration.” After the worker responded saying she had a boyfriend who handled her very nicely, Barrett is alleged to have instructed her, “He higher[.] Cuz I might hit on you if he wasn’t.” It is claimed he later made additional contact, writing, “You need to be worshipped, I believe? Why are you in opposition to that really taking place?”.
Different incidents detailed in Sony’s submitting features a “digital sport of ‘Fact or Dare’ initiated by Barrett”, and a Microsoft Groups alternate through which he allegedly requested a feminine member of employees, “Are you continue to in PJs? [Is] it like a button down prime and bottoms? Sweat pants? Lulu lemons?”.
Sony provides, “Barrett’s predatory behaviour triggered victims to hunt steerage from different Bungie staff on methods to handle Barrett’s fixed boundary-pushing on condition that he was a long-standing, senior member of the corporate. A number of victims reported to Human Sources throughout the investigation that they have been afraid for his or her jobs throughout these encounters.”
In response, Barrett’s attorneys instructed Sport File, “Sony continues to disingenuously cherry decide textual content messages and alleged conversations and make unsupported and conclusory statements to defame Christopher and justify terminating him to keep away from paying him what he was owed below his employment agreements. It’s telling that Sony doesn’t embrace the complete textual content messages as displays, or the complete content material of those conversations, and nothing in Sony’s response offers a respectable authorized or factual foundation to terminate Christopher for trigger.
“Christopher is assured that when all of the proof is offered, will probably be clear that Sony engaged in a scheme to strip him of his position and the fairness awards he earned for his 25 years of loyal service to the corporate.”
In addition to denying inappropriate behaviour throughout his time at Bungie, Barrett’s unique submitting argued his former employers’ actions had “irreparably harmed [him] financially, bodily, and emotionally”. As such, he’s searching for $200m in damages – together with $46K (plus curiosity) owed below his employment phrases – and is requesting to be reinstated as sport director on Marathon.
