Sony Responds to Christopher Barrett’s Wrongful Dismissal Lawsuit
Sony has responded to former Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett’s $200m USD wrongful dismissal lawsuit, detailing Barrett’s alleged ‘disturbing communications’ with female subordinates – including “sexually charged games of ‘Truth or Dare'”.
Background on Barrett’s Departure from Bungie
Barrett’s departure from Bungie was first reported last March, amid word of a leadership shakeup at the studio. However, it was later claimed Barrett was fired from his role following an internal investigation into accusation of inappropriate behaviour filed by “at least eight” female employees.
Barrett’s Allegations and Lawsuit Against Bungie and Sony
Barrett’s list of accusations was long, but core to his argument was the claim his firing was a “premeditated scheme” concocted so Bungie and Sony could avoid paying him “nearly $50m… owed under his employment agreement”. He additionally claimed he “did not do anything remotely resembling gross misconduct or ‘Cause’ as defined in the Retention Agreements… and there could not have been any credible allegation he did because [he] had a spotless twenty-five year track record at Bungie.”
Sony’s Response and Allegations Against Barrett
And now (via Game File’s Stephen Totilo), Sony has filed its first substantive response, denying Barret’s claims and detailing the events allegedly leading to his dismissal. “Multiple female, subordinate employees individually reported to Human Resources that Barrett engaged in inappropriate behaviour and disturbing written and verbal communications,” it wrote, “which made them uncomfortable and fearful of retaliation if they failed to engage or reported Barrett.”
Examples of Barrett’s Alleged Misconduct
”The investigation revealed that Barrett’s misconduct with each employee was consistent: he targeted a lower-level, female employee he wasn’t working with directly, initially engaged in friendly conversation, and progressively pushed boundaries with the employee by making subtle references to her physical appearance or expressing his interest romantically.
Barrett’s Response to Sony’s Allegations
In response, Barrett’s lawyers told Game File, “Sony continues to disingenuously cherry pick text messages and alleged conversations and make unsupported and conclusory statements to defame Christopher and justify terminating him to avoid paying him what he was owed under his employment agreements. It is telling that Sony does not include the full text messages as exhibits, or the full content of these conversations, and nothing in Sony’s response provides a legitimate legal or factual basis to terminate Christopher for cause.
Barrett’s Claims for Damages and Reinstatement
As well as denying inappropriate behaviour during his time at Bungie, Barrett’s original filing argued his former employers’ actions had “irreparably harmed [him] financially, physically, and emotionally”. As such, he is seeking $200m in damages – including $46K (plus interest) owed under his employment terms – and is requesting to be reinstated as game director on Marathon.