Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford and former lawyer bring end to messy legal dispute
"All misunderstandings between the parties have been corrected, and apologies were exchanged".
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford and the Borderlands studio's former general counsel Wade Callender have agreed to bring their messy legal tussle to a close, with both parties announcing that lawsuits filed against each other have been dropped.
Troubles began in 2018 when Gearbox sued Callender (a close friend of Pitchford's for over 40 years) for allegedly failing to repay a $300,000 USD cash loan intended to help finance a new home purchase, as well as additional money borrowed toward personal legal fees. Callender was also accused of using a company credit card for unapproved personal expenses, and more.
In retaliation, Callender countersued, filing a suit calling Pitchford a "manipulative and morally bankrupt CEO who shamefully exploited his oldest friend".
That suit accused Pitchford of breaching his fiduciary duties "by exploiting Gearbox employees and property to fund [his] private cravings", of pocketing $12 million USD meant for the studio, and of violating various contracts with Callender.
Callender's suit also claimed that the Gearbox CEO owned a USB drive containing a "personal collection of 'underage' pornography", and that Pitchford syphoned off studio profits to throw parties in which "adult men have reportedly exposed themselves to minors".
However, as reported by Business Insider, both lawsuits have now been formally dismissed by a Dallas County court. The full joint dismissal statement reads, "Upon review of all the evidence in the case, it was of the opinion of counsel that the evidence exonerated Randy Pitchford from the allegations against him; all misunderstandings between the parties have been corrected, and apologies were exchanged. Because the parties are mutually bound by confidentiality, no additional statements will be forthcoming."
Although that brings one messy saga to a close, it's not the only lawsuit Gearbox and Pitchford are currently embroiled in. Last week, Bobby Prince, who composed music for Doom, Doom 2, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D, started legal proceedings against Gearbox, Pitchford, and Valve. Price claims that Gearbox's Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour used his music without permission, and without offering financial compensation.