A lawsuit between Sony and a fired director is becoming messy. Sony revealed text messages sent by the former director, which they said was evidence of his “hunting behavior” and justified their decision to reject him. Christopher Barrett was excluded from his position last year in a dramatic reform and was later revealed that the reasons including the accused “inappropriate” and “unwanted” messages for female employees at the studio. In response to allegations, Barrett sued Bungie and the Sony parent company for violating the contract and defaming, declaring that the investigation that led to his fire was a “false”. The real reason for his shooting, he said, is to prevent a bonus greater than $ 45 million.
But worried, the Streisand effect was started. His lawsuit invited Sony to roll up his sleeves and dipped his hands in a big exhibition pocket. Examples of the documents he allegedly sent to the staff was revealed in a court record.
The 128 -page legal document is basically a line reaction to all the Barrett complaints being offered in his lawsuit against his old company. It was first reported by Stephen Totilo of the game file, who has followed the case since the lawsuit. In Sony documents, repeat their requirements for Barrett, quoting the initial investigation they did in his behavior.
“The investigation showed that Barrett’s wrongdoing with each employee was consistent: he targeted a lower female employee, he did not work directly, initially participated in a friendly conversation, and gradually pushed the boundary with his staff. Women did not answer his messages.
Sony then continued to include specific examples of Barrett documents accused of sending to female employees, as well as the behavior they said that he participated, such as calling female employees while drunk to ask who they were dating. Here are some of what is included in the document:
- Barrett asked the victim 1 to play “truth or dare” through text messages and ask “, what do you think is your best and worst feature[?]”Then he told her in a text message that she was” hot “.
- Despite the clear request of the victim in writing, Barrett realized the “boundary”, he called her late at night while drunk and after holding her for hours, moving down a dark corridor to his bedroom and suggested to her: “I could not believe that I was lying in bed talking to the bed to talk to [VICTIM 1]. “She suddenly hung up.
- Barrett sent the victim with 2 Instagram directly said: “You are a holy cup. I hope you find someone deserving your attention” and eligible, “I don’t hit you. I hope it is not like that.[.] Because I will hit you if he doesn’t. “
- Barrett also sent the victim 2 a message directly Instagram asked: “You want to be worshiped, I think so? Why are you against that really happened?” And a few days later texted the victim 2, “[w]Hats are the steps that people will have to do [to date you?] What is strategic guidance[?]”
- Barrett also told the victim 3, “I hope [your boyfriend] I don’t mind I text you a lot “and” I am just worried. Just like I really like to text you and talk. I don’t want him to have the right idea. “Later in the conversation, when Victim 3 told Barrett that she was busy, Barrett declared:” I want your attention, it’s uncomfortable. “
- In another Microsoft Teams exchange, Barrett asked victim 4, “Are you still in PJ?” And “[i]S is like a button down from top and bottom? Sweating pants? Lululemons? “.
- Only three weeks in the victim’s term of 5 in Bungie, Barrett called her late at night, when drunk, and told her intimate details about his personal life and asked her about whose and whom her “kind” was. He sent her a personal Instagram on demand to connect that night, what she did not accept.
Sony continued to say that many involved women finally reported these incidents to human resources, but they were afraid of their position anyway.
“Barrett’s hunting behavior has caused the victim to seek guidance from other Bungie employees on how to manage Barrett’s continuous boundaries that he is a senior, long -standing member of the company,” they said.
“Some of the victims told Barrett to stop. But even in the original case he followed, Barrett quickly chose again with his worrying behavior in the next communication.”
All of this basically means that Sony is following their decision on firing Barrett for “crude misconduct and raw negligence”, which will include them when terminating his work “for reasons”.
This is the part that Barrett disputes. He declared that he had “scapegoat[ed]”” fake “accused and” crime[d]”It was all because Sony did not want to pay a great reward that he said that he had the right to pay for millions of dollars worth the millions of dollars he was expected by Sony’s purchase in 2022.
“Sony continues to choose text messages and alleged conversations,” Barrett’s legal group said in a message to Totilo at the game file. “[They] Performing non -supported statements and conclusions to defaming Christopher and justifying the end of him to avoid paying him what he owed under his job agreement. It is said that Sony does not include full text messages such as exhibitions or full content of these conversations, and nothing in Sony’s response provides a legal or legal reality to stop Christopher for reasons. “
Barrett’s lawyers said that the company had no reason to dismiss him, because he did not “participate in any financial inappropriate” or “have or attract any unsuitable sexual relationship with his colleagues.”
Sony called this controversy line “Excessive consideration of evidence”.
“Hundreds of Barrett’s written statements and the direct testimony of many of his victims will prove his end for reason is reasonable and this lawsuit is no effort,” they said in the document.
It is difficult to know how legal cases like this will shake. Totilo noted the “aggressive” tactics of both sides and commented that many cases related to that amount were finally resolved.
Bungie has been noticed on such issues before. In 2021, they were charged with a “toxic” studio culture, in which women and others did not feel safe or valuable. A senior leader at the company called a woman “a bitch that could not be managed” for example. Another senior leader allegedly made regular racism comments. CEO of the company, Pete Parsons, apologized and promised changes to the studio, saying, “It is clear that we still have a job in front of us.”
In the relevant news, the studio recently sought to reassure fans that their next game, a shooting shooting game restarted marathon, is still being produced with new director Joe Ziegler replacing Barrett. Although there is not much news about the game since the revelation, and the studio has suffered recent fires.
