Sony Addresses $200 Million Wrongful Termination Lawsuit by Former Bungie Veteran Barrett

Sony has finally addressed a lawsuit from former Bungie employee, Christopher Barrett.

In a new development reported by Game File, Sony presented text messages between Barrett and female Bungie employees. These messages, Sony argues, demonstrate a “pattern of misconduct.”

Barrett, who parted ways with Bungie in March 2024, left amidst allegations of inappropriate behavior towards female colleagues. He has since filed a lawsuit, seeking $200 million in damages, claiming that his dismissal was unjust and cost him $45 million, which he anticipated receiving from Sony’s acquisition of Bungie in 2022.

Sony’s response emphasizes that Barrett’s departure was due to his behavior where he allegedly targeted a female employee not directly working with him. He reportedly initiated friendly conversations which allegedly evolved into making inappropriate comments about her appearance and expressing romantic interest. Sony accuses Barrett of attempting to create an unprofessional level of intimacy with his targets.

The company also included excerpts from texts and direct messages that Barrett supposedly sent to his alleged victims in their filing.

Barrett’s legal team fired back at Sony’s claims in a statement to Game File, criticizing Sony for selectively presenting evidence. “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,” they stated.

They pointed out that Sony didn’t provide the complete conversations or messages, arguing that nothing in Sony’s response justifies Barrett’s termination. “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 remains hopeful that once all the evidence is on the table, it will become evident that Sony orchestrated a plan to remove him from his position and deprive him of the rewards he earned during his 25 years at the company.