Chris Avellone Lawsuit Settled [Mar 26, 2023, 11:48 am ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
A
post on Medium by Chris Avellone announces a lawsuit he filed over sexual
predation allegations has been dismissed with prejudice. He says this has
resulted in his attorney's fees being refunded and a "seven-figure payout"
despite describing it as a "confidential settlement." The post shares what is
purported to be a joint statement from Kelly Bristol and Karissa Barrows, two
women who had accused the embattled developer of sexual misconduct. Avellone
filed a libel suit against Barrows, Bristol, and 100 Jane Does
in 2021 after
their
allegations he engaged in sexual predation. Avallone later filed
another suit against just
Barrows for defamation. The backlash immediately cost him work, including his
consultant roles on Dying Light 2 and Bloodlines 2. Chris goes on
to speak about real challenges the industry still needs to face. He also
expresses appreciation for "the willingness of Ms. Barrows and Ms. Bristol to
work with us in addressing issues within the game community," which seems odd.
He asks that everyone respect the privacy of Barrows and Bristol going forward.
Here is the included statement:
“After engaging with Mr. Avellone, we have prepared the following statement:
Mr. Avellone never sexually abused either of us. We have no knowledge that he has ever sexually abused any women. We have no knowledge that Mr. Avellone has ever misused corporate funds. Anything we have previously said or written about Mr. Avellone to the contrary was not our intent. We wanted to support women in the industry. In so doing, our words have been misinterpreted to suggest specific allegations of misconduct that were neither expressed nor intended. We are passionate about the safety, security and agency of women, minorities, LGBTQIA+ persons, and every other community that has seen persecution in the video game industry. We believe Mr. Avellone shares a desire to protect and uplift those communities. We believe that he deserves a full return to the industry and support him in those endeavors.”
- Karissa Barrows, Kelly Rae Bristol
Note to self, avoid/shun all named parties, losers all around.
"Meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss." - The Who.
Driving your car drunk is forbidden and dangerous for yourself and others.
Driving your body drunk, is equally stupid and dangerous for yourself and others, as many can't remember what they did or what they consented to.
If somebody takes you to his/her hotel room, there is a certain possibility of amorous advances happening.
If Avellone made his move, not forcing anyone, nor being indecent, it didn't work and was said no, he accepted it and that was that, what wrong was there ?
Who is to blame for that situation ?
Was she a tease, too impaired to conduct herself prudently ?
Was he too demanding or forceful ?
We really can't pretend to know, so let justice, such as it is, pronounce a verdict.
Driving your body drunk, is equally stupid and dangerous for yourself and others, as many can't remember what they did or what they consented to.
If somebody takes you to his/her hotel room, there is a certain possibility of amorous advances happening.
If Avellone made his move, not forcing anyone, nor being indecent, it didn't work and was said no, he accepted it and that was that, what wrong was there ?
Who is to blame for that situation ?
Was she a tease, too impaired to conduct herself prudently ?
Was he too demanding or forceful ?
We really can't pretend to know, so let justice, such as it is, pronounce a verdict.
i kinda skimmed the comments, but i can say that there was no judgement here so there was no standard of malice to be applied. it was a settlement to make the case go away. the only role the judge has is to approve it.
that being said, as someone else mentioned, the women must've been fucked up shit's creek to agree to these terms. they admitted they lied AND they paid him a big settlement. they need to get a better lawyer cuz when big corps drop big settlements they NEVER admit guilt. i'm curious what he sued for cuz it must've been massive, to get them to 'only' pay out 7 figs and a public apology.
that being said, as someone else mentioned, the women must've been fucked up shit's creek to agree to these terms. they admitted they lied AND they paid him a big settlement. they need to get a better lawyer cuz when big corps drop big settlements they NEVER admit guilt. i'm curious what he sued for cuz it must've been massive, to get them to 'only' pay out 7 figs and a public apology.
Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 04:12:selection7 wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:59:Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:06:Was she supposedly ever in costume at a convention with Chris? [...] Also, I don't think you should besmirch cosplayers! [...] I get why you might think they're a little nutty, but they're mostly good people.selection7 wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:05:Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:27:What cosplayers?
Sounds like everyone learned an important lesson.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
The women in the lawsuit.
You should read it.
What the hell are you talking about?
I did no such thing.
Hey, cool it with the coarse language! (There are ladies on this board.
) I thought maybe you were a cos-player hater because you suggested a lesson to be learned is not to sleep with cosplayers. And I quote: "...stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen." I was thinking to myself, what makes cosplayers any different from anyone else? Why single them out unless Sepharo thinks they can't be trusted? Kind of like, 'should've known better than to go down a dark alley', except cosplayers are no 'dark alley', they're mostly good people. It was a strange statement, either way. But also, ...
What about my question about whether they were cosplaying at a convention with Chris?
And, well, I'll just re-paste it:
What about my question about the ladies not needing to be overtly specific, but just truthful, instead? Agreed?
Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 02:59:I have. It's his side, and does nothing to clear up why this was settled. This is the standard.jdreyer wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 02:26:Armengar wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:08:In order for the "malicious" standard to be applied, you would have to be considered a "public persona." Although you are not, Chris A certainly is.Burrito of Peace wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 23:13:
I can accuse you of kicking puppies and sodomizing goats on Twatter. Does that make it true?
this is a good example. because if i sued you for defamation, in order for me to win proving that I dont kick puppies or sodomize goats would not be enough. I would also need to prove you were accusing me maliciously.
you could say it for banter, for laughs, not maliciously. I would lose the libel case even though it is true that I dont sodomize goats and you spoke falsely.
So this case was deemed not just watertight but gilt edged. The two accusors were not just liars but doing it to harm chris,with a trail of evidence.
I think that's why I'm scratching my head at this case. Even if they lied, what evidence exists that shows malicious intent? There must be something that we're not seeing here. This isn't a judgement on whether the two women did something wrong; it seems likely that they did. My question is, did it rise to the level of libel of a public figure? The women initially seemed honest in their condemnations, so for them to settle this there must be some proof that they not only made stuff up but also did it with the intent of ruining his career? Have we seen evidence of that in this case? Perhaps LegalEagle or someone can shed some light on what likely happened in this case.
He sued them because they called him a "sex predator" and implied that he had non-consensual encounters and implied some of them could be underage.
None of those things would have been provable for them.
If they had stuck to something like,
"Avellone is a creeper who took me while I was intoxicated up to the hotel room and then started kissing and groping me (Avellone called it "heavy petting" in his own suit). I told him to stop, and to his credit, he did... but after speaking with others, this seems to be a pattern for him."
They would have been just fine.
Read Avellone's suit if you haven't.
In the context of defamation, a public figure is generally defined as an individual who has assumed a role of prominence in society or voluntarily or involuntarily thrust themselves into the public spotlight, like a government official, a celebrity, or even a person at the heart of a controversy. Public figures have a higher burden of proof when bringing a defamation claim; they must show that the defendant acted with actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth when publishing a false statement.
It seems that two different versions of an event that actually happened, then basing opinions on that might not rise to the level of malice. Or a bunch of he-said-she-said stuff. What I'm primarily concerned with here is if there is any additional evidence, like a Tweet saying, "I'm going to totally tank Avellone's career with this" indicating a motivation to lie and do harm ("malice").
If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
eRe4s3r wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:53:Argonius the 3rd wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 14:20:
People, this was a defamation case settlement, why are you making up asinine conspiracy theories ?
See, I call this topic "A good example why Blues needs better trained moderators" - or the rules need to get better to cover slander
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If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
Prez wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:23:OnlyFans.
Wait. Scratch that.
For me, by far the most important question concerning this story is
How did 2 cosplayers from AnimeBigBoobedSchoolgirlscon come up with a "7-figure payout"?!? Maybe I need to change my profession from "grumpy old disabled guy" to "cosplayer". It apparently pays MUCH better.
If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
selection7 wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:59:Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:06:Was she supposedly ever in costume at a convention with Chris? [...] Also, I don't think you should besmirch cosplayers! [...] I get why you might think they're a little nutty, but they're mostly good people.selection7 wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:05:Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:27:What cosplayers?
Sounds like everyone learned an important lesson.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
The women in the lawsuit.
You should read it.
What the hell are you talking about?
I did no such thing.
Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:06:Ah, thanks. I did read quite a lot about it some time ago, but never came across her being a cosplayer. Was she supposedly ever in costume at a convention with Chris? Either way, Chris never slept with Karissa or Kelly, and to his knowledge, has never even met Kelly.selection7 wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:05:Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:27:What cosplayers?
Sounds like everyone learned an important lesson.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
The women in the lawsuit.
You should read it.
Also, I don't think you should besmirch cosplayers! No doubt the vast majority who've started intimate relationships based on their "con" adventures have never done anything like what Karissa and Kelly did. I get why you might think they're a little nutty, but they're mostly good people.
What about my question about the ladies not needing to be overtly specific, but just truthful, instead? Agreed?
Argonius the 3rd wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 14:20:
People, this was a defamation case settlement, why are you making up asinine conspiracy theories ?
See, I call this topic "A good example why Blues needs better trained moderators" - or the rules need to get better to cover slander
Citizen P wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 19:46:I agree it seems this way. Maybe it is. But this has been a sort of low-profile Depp-Heard case, except the accusers learned from the Heard case and didn't let it go to trial, and there's an important similarity in the outcome. If you consider the zeitgeist of the me-too movement that we were in for a while, it was a revolution, but still quite nascent. I like to think that both of these cases have helped that movement to start to grow up from the foolishness of a "believe all women" buzz phrase to something more productive.
How wonderful, those who have genuine cases of abuse now have more stacked against them because some people wanted to take advantage of change that should have been for the better.
Which is to say, that period was never going to last, as if stuck in time, and we wouldn't want it to. In that sense, these cases have been a big step forward in the evolution of protecting the public from predators. Glass half full, I know.
Prez wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:23:
Wait. Scratch that.
For me, by far the most important question concerning this story is
How did 2 cosplayers from AnimeBigBoobedSchoolgirlscon come up with a "7-figure payout"?!? Maybe I need to change my profession from "grumpy old disabled guy" to "cosplayer". It apparently pays MUCH better.
You don't have to have the money to be sued for the money lol
Wait. Scratch that.
For me, by far the most important question concerning this story is
How did 2 cosplayers from AnimeBigBoobedSchoolgirlscon come up with a "7-figure payout"?!? Maybe I need to change my profession from "grumpy old disabled guy" to "cosplayer". It apparently pays MUCH better.
For me, by far the most important question concerning this story is
How did 2 cosplayers from AnimeBigBoobedSchoolgirlscon come up with a "7-figure payout"?!? Maybe I need to change my profession from "grumpy old disabled guy" to "cosplayer". It apparently pays MUCH better.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Mahatma Gandhi
selection7 wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 03:05:Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:27:What cosplayers?
Sounds like everyone learned an important lesson.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
The women in the lawsuit.
You should read it.
Sepharo wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:27:What cosplayers?
Sounds like everyone learned an important lesson.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
Also, wouldn't it be more accurate to say that the women learned to not outright make false statements with malice? After all, they really didn't need to be specific at all about how he was creepy. "He gave me the heebie jeebies." or "Something's not right about him—dangerous even." are both very generic statements that wouldn't have resulted in them having to payout a ton of money to avoid the repercussions of bearing false witness.
jdreyer wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 02:26:Armengar wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:08:In order for the "malicious" standard to be applied, you would have to be considered a "public persona." Although you are not, Chris A certainly is.Burrito of Peace wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 23:13:
I can accuse you of kicking puppies and sodomizing goats on Twatter. Does that make it true?
this is a good example. because if i sued you for defamation, in order for me to win proving that I dont kick puppies or sodomize goats would not be enough. I would also need to prove you were accusing me maliciously.
you could say it for banter, for laughs, not maliciously. I would lose the libel case even though it is true that I dont sodomize goats and you spoke falsely.
So this case was deemed not just watertight but gilt edged. The two accusors were not just liars but doing it to harm chris,with a trail of evidence.
I think that's why I'm scratching my head at this case. Even if they lied, what evidence exists that shows malicious intent? There must be something that we're not seeing here. This isn't a judgement on whether the two women did something wrong; it seems likely that they did. My question is, did it rise to the level of libel of a public figure? The women initially seemed honest in their condemnations, so for them to settle this there must be some proof that they not only made stuff up but also did it with the intent of ruining his career? Have we seen evidence of that in this case? Perhaps LegalEagle or someone can shed some light on what likely happened in this case.
He sued them because they called him a "sex predator" and implied that he had non-consensual encounters and implied some of them could be underage.
None of those things would have been provable for them.
If they had stuck to something like,
"Avellone is a creeper who took me while I was intoxicated up to the hotel room and then started kissing and groping me (Avellone called it "heavy petting" in his own suit). I told him to stop, and to his credit, he did... but after speaking with others, this seems to be a pattern for him."
They would have been just fine.
Read Avellone's suit if you haven't.
For me, by far the most important question is this:
When are they going to stop adding letters to an already ridiculous acronym? LGBTQIA+?!? What the fuck is that?!? Holy shit.
I'm not throwing shade at all at any of the communities that those letters stand for btw. I am certain that I'm 100% in support of all of them (though officially I only know what the first 4 are) but that would completely feel like parody were it not in a legal statement. It is utterly ridiculous, and in a quest to end marginalization of those groups the last thing you want to appear as is ridiculous. Let's come up with a single word that represents all marginalized lifestyles that doesn't sound like a sequence of controller button presses that activated cheat codes on your SNES, k?
Okay, okay, I'm being facetious. That obviously isn't the big takeaway from this story. But my unhinged rant still stands.
When are they going to stop adding letters to an already ridiculous acronym? LGBTQIA+?!? What the fuck is that?!? Holy shit.
I'm not throwing shade at all at any of the communities that those letters stand for btw. I am certain that I'm 100% in support of all of them (though officially I only know what the first 4 are) but that would completely feel like parody were it not in a legal statement. It is utterly ridiculous, and in a quest to end marginalization of those groups the last thing you want to appear as is ridiculous. Let's come up with a single word that represents all marginalized lifestyles that doesn't sound like a sequence of controller button presses that activated cheat codes on your SNES, k?
Okay, okay, I'm being facetious. That obviously isn't the big takeaway from this story. But my unhinged rant still stands.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Mahatma Gandhi
Armengar wrote on Mar 27, 2023, 01:08:In order for the "malicious" standard to be applied, you would have to be considered a "public persona." Although you are not, Chris A certainly is.Burrito of Peace wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 23:13:
I can accuse you of kicking puppies and sodomizing goats on Twatter. Does that make it true?
this is a good example. because if i sued you for defamation, in order for me to win proving that I dont kick puppies or sodomize goats would not be enough. I would also need to prove you were accusing me maliciously.
you could say it for banter, for laughs, not maliciously. I would lose the libel case even though it is true that I dont sodomize goats and you spoke falsely.
So this case was deemed not just watertight but gilt edged. The two accusors were not just liars but doing it to harm chris,with a trail of evidence.
I think that's why I'm scratching my head at this case. Even if they lied, what evidence exists that shows malicious intent? There must be something that we're not seeing here. This isn't a judgement on whether the two women did something wrong; it seems likely that they did. My question is, did it rise to the level of libel of a public figure? The women initially seemed honest in their condemnations, so for them to settle this there must be some proof that they not only made stuff up but also did it with the intent of ruining his career? Have we seen evidence of that in this case? Perhaps LegalEagle or someone can shed some light on what likely happened in this case.
If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
Ahumado wrote on Mar 26, 2023, 19:48:
* REMOVED *
I can't
This comment was edited on Mar 27, 2023, 11:59.
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http://www.painkillerrecords.com
Music for the discerning:
http://www.deathwishinc.com
http://www.hydrahead.com
http://www.painkillerrecords.com
Sounds like everyone learned an important lesson.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
Chris learned to stop sleeping with cosplayers at conventions, lest something like this happen.
And the women who found him creepy learned they need to be very very specific about how exactly he's creepy, lest a lawsuit like this happens.
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