New Lawsuit Against 'Borderlands' Studio CEO

[Grim Reaper]

https://comicbook.com/gaming/amp/201...raphy-lawsuit/

New Lawsuit Against 'Borderlands' Studio CEO Cites Alleged Child Pornography Found, "Adult Parties" Featuring Minors

A new lawsuit has just been made public concerning former Gearbox counsel Wade Callender agasinst Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. The gist of the new suit cites numerous instances of Pitchford in breach of contract in addition to pocketing 12 million dollars intended for Gearbox employees. But there was one small add-on in the official suit that was snuck in there that paints a very different picture of where this legal battle could go.

In a recent report by Kotaku, both the lawsuit from Gearbox regarding Callender and the returning suit have been made public and outlines a very detailed list of grievances. Money issues and contracts aside, one part of the suit stuck out concerning something allegedly found in Pitchford's collection: underaged pornography.

According to the lawsuit itself, “Upon information and belief, Randy Pitchford’s USB drive also contained Randy Pitchford’s personal collection of ‘underage’ pornography.” The report then goes into further detail stating that the CEO allegedly housed parties where "adult men have reportedly exposed themselves to minors, to the amusement of Randy Pitchford."

All of the above is included - in full - in the lawsuit that can be viewed here. As for right now, Gearbox has released the below official statement to the site:

“The allegations made by a disgruntled former employee are absurd, with no basis in reality or law,” said a Gearbox spokesperson in an exclusive statement to Kotaku. “We look forward to addressing this meritless lawsuit in court and have no further comment at this time.”

You can also see some of the other allegations in our previous coverage here that focuses more on the monetary specifics of the new lawsuit and how Gearbox is planning on handling the most recent accusations.

Story developing ....

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford Accused Of Stealing $12 Million Dollars, Gearbox Responds to "Absurd" Claims

It seems that the Borderlands studio is in some majorly hot water, including CEO Randy Pitchford, in a new lawsuit against him from former Gearbox general counsel Wade Callender. In light of the recent allegations surrounding the hording of over $12 million, the studio has issued an official statement calling the allegations "absurd."

According to recent reports, Wade Callender is accusing the Gearbox CEO for violating numerous contracts - including his own - while pocketing over $12 million in bonuses. This suit was filed merely one month after the company itself sued Callender for fraud and breach of "fiduciary duty."

“The allegations made by a disgruntled former employee are absurd, with no basis in reality or law,” said a Gearbox spokesperson in an exclusive statement to Kotaku. “We look forward to addressing this meritless lawsuit in court and have no further comment at this time.”

As far as the nature of the lawsuit goes, Callender claims that Pitchford kept a “personal, secretive ‘Executive Bonus’ of $12,000,000 to be paid directly to Pitchford entity called ‘Pitchford Entertainment Media Magic, LLC.’” That number, according to the suit, was meant to go to the Gearbox staff as a whole as a bonus.

The lawsuit continues, “This is particularly tragic exploitation because these millions are being syphoned to Randy Pitchford’s personal accounts instead of funding the development of Borderlands.”

It was evident that this one would be messy given that the preliminary statement began "Randy Pitchford is a manipulative and morally bankrupt CEO who shamefully exploited his oldest friend, a Texas attorney and military veteran named Wade Callender.

The company itself was founded back in 1999 and has had an incredibly tumultous last few years between a few title misses and reputation hits regarding the illusive Borderlands 3. Where this lawsuit goes from here remains to be seen, but it is one that is filled with damaging accusations that it looks like Gearbox is ready to fight.

You can see the full lawsuit both from Gearbox and Callender right here.

https://kotaku.com/former-gearbox-la...-ta-1831679539