TellTale Sued By Laid-Off Employees, Looking for Due Compensation

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems the Telltale shut-down story is taking all the twists and turns we’d expect from a Telltale game.

Here’s a quick recap: earlier last week, Telltale made the shocking announcement that after their last partner (who is so far unknown) pulled from the company, they basically had no money left and had to file for bankruptcy. That meant that about 250 people lost their jobs, and worse, they lost their severance pay, which meant that unspent vacations were wasted, insurance abruptly stopped, and overtime went uncompensated.

Which, you know, is terrible. Which is why it’s delightful to hear that the Telltale crew (led by Vernie Roberts) is coming together to form a Class Action lawsuit against their former employer, alleging that hey violated labor laws in California and nationwide: specifically, the WARN act.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, passed in 1988, stated that business with at least 100 full-time employees must notify employees 60 days in advance of any plant closings or massive layoffs – which is defined as 50 or more employees within a 30-day period. The California version of the WARN act is even stricter, saying that companies of 75 full-time employees are under similar rules. If the company finds themselves guilty, they get charged enormous fines, which are then given to the affected employees.

While Telltale can defend itself in court (especially regarding the Federal law, which is laxer), the plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial, and are simply requesting the kind of compensation they deserve for the sudden layoffs, with a little bit of interest on the side.

Frankly, I hope they win.