A former executive of Take-Two Interactive filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Grand Theft Auto publisher in a federal court in Nevada last week.
Robert Alexander alleges that Take-Two breached an oral employment contract when, in 2004, former Take-Two CEO Paul Eibeler terminated a distribution deal with Alexander and his company, Game Ballers. Eibeler had taken over the reigns of T2 when CEO and company founder Ryan Brant ran afoul of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to being forced out, Brant and Alexander apparently enjoyed a cooperative working arrangement.
The complaint is an interesting read, and provides insight into what appears to be the very big bucks business of video game distribution.
In his suit Alexander claims that he has been in the game biz since he was 16. He says that he built up a distribution company called Jack of All Games which he sold to Take-Two in 1998. After closing that deal he spent some time as a member of the T2 Board of Directors, leaving in 1999.
In 2003 Alexander formed a new distribution company, Game Ballers, and began negotiating with Ryan Brant and other execs to partner with T2 and Jack of All Games. Although Alexander began working with T2, his deal was never finalized before legal troubles forced Brant to leave the company in March, 2004. When Eibeler assumed the CEO post later in the year, Alexander apparently fell out of favor and alleges that he was not paid what he was owed.
If Alexander's complaint is accurate, the numbers involved are staggering. The distributor claims that Brant agreed to pay him $240,000 in annual salary with 20% annual raises, a $25,000 monthly expense allowance, 50,000 shares of T2 stock plus options and $.50 per game handled by his distribution company.
We have a request in to Take-Two for comment.
UPDATE: Take-Two has declined to comment. In fairness, I should point out that Strauss Zelnick's current management team had no involvement with T2 during the time frame about which Alexander is making his claim.
Comments
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Your copypaste thing isn't working for me.
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I AM DOOMED TO HAUNT JACK THOMPSON'S DREAMS UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS.
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I AM DOOMED TO HAUNT JACK THOMPSON'S DREAMS UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
It stopped working for me after that picture...they may have disabled it....
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Now now Jack, did I mention your name? *snickers* You are assuming again....
Actually I have been tested, believe it or not. Was a child suffering ADD, grew up to be a well adjusted professional for GE. Now Jack, are you a well adjusted profesisonal?
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
You know they tested me and said I had ADD, then later found out my IQ is 143 and I was just getting bored as hell in school. I even found new/shorter algorithms to solve math problems as well that a teacher of mine tried to disprove, then he later ended up teaching using my algorithm instead of what the book said, haha. Then I also fell asleep in classes a lot since I had swim practice 3 hours before and 3 hours after school... So my math teacher hated me for falling asleep, while I was still getting straight A's.
The good times... high school was the easy life.
How to set Xbox 360 Parental Controls
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
'The Bar' didn't DO anything. Your friend from church (which wasn't the person the Bar reccomended) got you through on a technicality, so only God knows if you just didn't bribe him on the side or put an extra 20 into the bowl to get him to say you were sane.
IN 1991.
It's now 2008. That's seventeen years, Mr. Thompson. That's more than enough time to lose your marbles, and ut was clear you lost your last few back in 2005.
David "DavCube" Gagnon, Mature Human Being, and You're Not.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
see the irony you are missing here Jacky boy, is that people dont have to even think about seeing the results of a psych test to know we are sane.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
The Supreme Court found that Referee Tunis' recommendation that you be permanently disbarred was correct. It's officially. When are you gonna cut that $43,000 check.
"They didn't have CUNTFLAPS?" -- Jack Thompson
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
They found that out years ago. Relying on a decades old psych exam to determine your current mental health is as crazy as relying on a decades old physical exam to determine your current physical health.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Jack hasnt been tested for psychological issues, though he should. If they did, some idiot did the testing, because I can point out a couple of his problems just from interviews of him and his history with Janet Reno. (There is a big chance that something happened to him in his childhood, the question is what.... molested, beaten, drugs, bad parenting...)
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Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Only the insane equates pain with success
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Gay porn perusing Thompson pointing out someone else's spelling mistakes.
Fucking Hilarious!
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
He's probably "busy" either drafting the 'smoking gun' lawsuit right now, or surfing gay porn sites...
-- "Jack and listen are two words that don't go together...just like Jack and sanity, Jack and truth, Jack and proof, Jack and win..." -- sortableturnip | http://www.orangeloungeradio.com/
400 Episodes, TEN YEARS and counting: http://www.orangeloungeradio.com/ | Voice of Geeks Network - http://www.vognetwork.com
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Yep all you have to do is point to oral agreement ... oral agreements typically don't hold up in court unless you get a lot of eye witnesses saying they heard the agreement and even then it helps to have a tape conversation of the agreement without it you are just looking for a settlement hoping you can get some quick cash.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Queue JT's horrid bile about T2 in 3....2....1....
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Why does no one know how to make a decent PDF?
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Yeah, unless he has it on tape I'm fairly certain "oral agreement." Doesn't mean Jack.
Oh, I see what I did there. Ok, It would be like me saying "Jack and I have an oral agreement that he will defenestrate himself if he loses his latest battle."
Who'se gonna believe me without proof?
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
There are ways to enforce an oral agreement but you're right, it's difficult at best.
You have to show that, under the circumstances, this is the kind of agreement you would expect to be created. That the agreement would be reasonable, and a whole host of other things.
It's tough, but it has happened.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
It's not the least bit difficult. I guess you'd have to be a lawyer, disbarred or not, to know that. Do you now get a law degree stuffed in a PS3 that Andrew Eisen takes apart?
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
I guess you'd have to be a lawyer, disbarred or not, to know that.
Finally! So you finally accept that you're being disbarred and there's nothing you can do (since you've already done so much.
Game on, brothers and sisters.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Xbox, not the PS3. Try to pay attention, Thompson.
But anyway, yes, in my gutted Xbox you get a law degree, 5000 ecstacy pills, a blow-up doll and three cans of Play-Doh.
Andrew Eisen
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Win!
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Did you ever realize that there are only 9 days left and 6 hours 16 minutes and 4 second left till your out of a job and on the streets?
_________________________ And the rain will kill us all... We throw ourselves against the walls.. but no one else can see.... the preservation of the martyr in me.... Psychosocial
Re: Former Exec Sues Take-Two for $50 Million
Given your track record, I don't think we're inclined to take anything you say for granted. You've not won a court case in HOW long?