Quantic Dream has reportedly lost the latest round of a legal battle involving an employee who was allegedly unfairly dismissed in 2017 for gross misconduct.
The last few years have been pretty good for Quantic Dream on the business side of things -- an investment from Netease allowed the French game developer to expand into multiplatform releases; shortly thereafter, the company announced that it would be able to self-publish its games, too.
Despite these successes, the developer of Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human has had its fair share of legal problems in recent years. It was embroiled in a legal battle with an employee over accusations of harassment and unfair dismissal; that same court case has now apparently been resolved following an appeal.
What Happened with the Quantic Dream Unfair Dismissal Case
French union Solidaires Informatique reports that a court has condemned Quantic Dream over its decision to unfairly dismiss an employee in 2017.
A few years ago, an employee was terminated from Quantic Dream due to allegations of gross misconduct. The employee, however, claimed several instances of harassment including lewd photoshops of employees being passed around, obscene jokes, and management making sexual advances on employees.
The first ruling by a court classified a dismissal as having "cause" -- that is to say, the court said that the firing of an employee was justified. The employee appealed, however, and the court has reversed the first decision. It's unclear what the result of this reversal will be; presumably, the employee will be financially compensated in some fashion.
Unfortunately, legal battles cost money and these employees have bills to pay. A solidarity fund has been set up by former employees of Quantic Dream to support the various people who have been terminated, some of whom were allegedly terminated under illegal circumstances.