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
The real culprit behind these suits is the litigation lawyer, of course. These women likely went to see one to discuss ways to promote women in the industry, or something similar, and the lawyer, sensing blood in the water as they often do, parlayed the whole thing into a sexual-predator lawsuit simply to soak Avellone into a big settlement. I'm glad to see that Avellone was exonerated, as he deserved to be. This is what comes of people believing accusations without proof--accusations are not evidence of wrong-doing, despite what some obviously believe. If you are going to stand up and attempt to ruin someone's career and life, you had best have your ducks in a row. I also think the comment about "working with the women to address issues within the game community," was simply a bone tossed to these women--Avellone making a magnanimous statement towards the women who caused him so much trouble over the last couple of years. The really weird thing is that even though these women have recanted the whole thing, there will still be people out there who refuse to believe anything positive about Avellone. Go figure.
It is well known that I cannot err--and so, if you should happen across an error in anything I have written you can be absolutely sure that *I* did not write it!...;)
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