The story of Telltale Game’s sudden and brutal majority closure continues with a lawsuit filed on behalf of the over 250 ex-employees who were suddenly let go last Friday. Filed by Vernie Roberts in San Francisco federal court, the lawsuit alleges that all of the laid off employees were let go both without cause and without written notice, something that is required by both the federal and California state versions of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
As reported by Polygon, the federal version of the WARN Act requires “most” companies with over 100 full-time employees must provide written notice of a closure or mass layoff within at least 60 days. The law specifies a mass layoff as at least 50 employees in a 30 day period, if that number is at least one third of the total staff, or at least 500 layoffs regardless of the percentage. The California version is more strict, as it still requires 60 days’ notice, but lowers those numbers to a 75 employee minimum and any loss of at least 50 employees regardless of overall size.
If the court rules in the favor of Roberts and his peers, Telltale Games would be required to give back pay and benefits for each day in violation to every one of the affected ex-employee. This would mean Telltale Games would be on the hook for a full 60 days of pay and benefits for 275 people, as Roberts included the remaining 25-person “skeleton crew” in the lawsuit’s claims.
Roberts’ lawsuit is seeking a jury trail, and the full compensation as outlined above. You can read the full details of the lawsuit for yourself below.
[Source: Polygon, Court Documents]
